20 May 2024, 12:50 am
Visiting US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan laid out to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the opportunity currently available for Israel to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia if Jerusalem agrees to a pathway to a future Palestinian state.
Sullivan arrived in Israel Sunday after holding “constructive” talks on the Biden administration’s “comprehensive vision for an integrated Middle East region” with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, the White House says.
The effort appears to be a non-starter in Israel, with Netanyahu reiterating again yesterday that he would not accept a Palestinian state, even if it meant a Saudi normalization deal. Riyadh and Washington have been clear that they won’t sign onto a series of bilateral agreements without significant movement toward a two-state solution.
This did not stop Sullivan from again pitching the idea to Netanyahu, as he briefed him on his meetings in Saudi Arabia and on “the potential that may now be available for Israel, as well as the Palestinian people,” says the White House readout.
Sullivan also met with President Isaac Herzog, National Security Council chair Tzachi Hanegbi and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, also discussing with them the ongoing efforts to secure the release of the hostages and “the enduring defeat of Hamas,” according to the White House.
The two goals appear at odds, given that the US is aiming to turn the hostage deal it is currently brokering into a permanent ceasefire that would likely leave Hamas in Gaza in some form.
But US officials told The Times of Israel last week that the diplomatic initiative it is advancing with international partners will marginalize the terror group and that it is the only alternative Israel has to permanently occupying Gaza without assistance from its Arab allies in stabilizing the enclave.
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