No Defense Deal Between Washington and Riyadh Without Normalization with Tel Aviv
Saudi Arabia insists on Israel committing to irreversible steps towards the establishment of a Palestinian state
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan affirmed that President Joe Biden‘s administration will not sign a defense agreement with Saudi Arabia unless the Kingdom and Israel agree to normalize relations, emphasizing that “you cannot separate one from the other.”
Sullivan denied recent reports in an interview with the Financial Times on Saturday that there were discussions for a bilateral agreement between the Biden administration and Riyadh if Tel Aviv refused to make concessions to the Palestinians.
The Biden administration is pushing for a trilateral agreement to encourage Saudi Arabia to formalize diplomatic relations with Israel as part of plans to ensure sustainable peace in the Middle East after the October 7th attack, which led to an ongoing war in Gaza for about seven months.
The US administration hopes to leverage the possibility of the Kingdom (long considered a major prize for Israel) and other Islamic countries normalizing relations to persuade Israel to agree to significant concessions for the Palestinians, according to the newspaper.
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected any moves towards a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has dragged on.
Sullivan said on Saturday, “The comprehensive vision is a bilateral understanding between the United States and Saudi Arabia, accompanied by normalization between Tel Aviv and Riyadh, along with meaningful steps on behalf of the Palestinian people… All of this has to come together… You cannot separate one from the other.”
Sullivan confirmed that Biden intends to present publicly details of “the path to a more peaceful region,” adding, “I expect you’ll hear from the president and others of us in the coming months more about… the path that we believe can lead to Israel being more secure and the region being more peaceful.”
He pointed out that “all we can do is arrive at what we think is reasonable, try to persuade as many countries in the region to agree to it and then present it, and it will ultimately be up to the Israeli leadership and frankly, ultimately, the Israeli people to decide whether this is the path they want to take.”
The Biden administration had been aiming to reach an agreement where Saudi Arabia would normalize relations with Israel before October 7th, leading to Washington’s approval of a defense deal with Riyadh and support for its civilian nuclear ambitions in exchange for Israel making concessions to the Palestinians.
However, the Hamas attack and the retaliatory Israeli assault in Gaza “upended this process,” while the United States and Saudi Arabia continued discussions on a potential deal as part of broader post-war plans to secure peace in the region.
At the same time, Saudi Arabia clarified that it would demand much greater concessions from Israel for the Palestinians after October 7th, insisting that it would need to see “irreversible steps” towards establishing a Palestinian state.
The newspaper noted that some analysts view this week’s media reports suggesting that the United States and Saudi Arabia are considering moving forward with a bilateral agreement even if Israel refuses to take tangible steps towards establishing a Palestinian state as aimed at pressuring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s government.
During a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken affirmed that the Saudi-American bilateral work related to normalization with Israel is “likely very close to completion.”
