Blinken says the US and Saudi Arabia are making “good progress” on normalization talks with Israel, but no timeline has been given. Discussions include a mutual defense pact.
REUTERS MARCH 21, 2024 22:21
Updated: MARCH 21, 2024 22:43
US SECRETARY of State Antony Blinken arrives for the Summit for Democracy, in South Korea this week. The gradual shift in the historic US-Israel alliance has been partly influenced by a greater influence given to the State Department under Blinken, the writer maintains.(photo credit: EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/REUTERS)The United States and Saudi Arabia have made “good progress” in talks on normalizing ties between the kingdom and Israel, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday without providing a timeline for concluding a deal.
“I believe we can reach an agreement, which would present a historic opportunity for two nations, but also for the region as a whole,” Blinken said at a joint press conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry in Cairo.
Talks on normalization had been put on ice in the immediate aftermath of the October 7 attack by Palestinian Hamas fighters and Israel’s subsequent assault on Hamas-ruled Gaza, but conversations have resumed in recent months.
The Biden administration has been working to secure such a deal. Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries want the creation of a Palestinian state to be part of any deal.
Riyadh is also looking to clinch a mutual defense pact with Washington and get US support for its civil nuclear program. During an official visit, Blinken discussed the topics on Wednesday with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah.
Oil protection for normalization: Middle East reshaping
“We had a very good discussion about the work that we’ve been doing for many months now on normalization, and that work is moving forward. We’re continuing to make good progress,” Blinken said but added that he could not offer a timeframe.
A pact giving the world’s biggest oil exporter US military protection in exchange for normalization would reshape the Middle East by uniting two long-time foes and binding Riyadh to Washington when China is making inroads in the region.
For such a deal to advance, Israel needs to agree to a pathway for the creation of an independent Palestinian state, a prospect that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected.
Washington sees any normalization deal woven into post-war planning that would include Arab countries providing security guarantees for Israel in return for the creation of a Palestinian state under a reformed Palestinian Authority.
Content retrieved from: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/blinken-cites-progress-with-saudis-on-normalizing-ties-with-israel-793191.