Senior officials from the United States and Saudi Arabia met in Washington last week to discuss a potential security deal that would not require Saudi Arabia to formalise relations with Israel. According to a recent report, any talk of normalisation between Riyadh and Israel is on hold due to Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza and its resistance to a diplomatic solution for Palestinian statehood.
However, officials in Washington and Riyadh are reportedly exploring a limited security agreement that could be signed before President Joe Biden’s term ends in January, sources told Axios.
The discussions follow a visit from Saudi National Security Adviser Musaad Bin Mohammed Al-Aiban, who met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and key White House officials, including Jake Sullivan and Brett McGurk.
The US has been pushing for Saudi-Israeli normalisation, but Riyadh maintains that any deal hinges on a resolution for the Palestinian issue, based on the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as Palestine’s capital. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan recently affirmed that while Riyadh may advance some US agreements, it remains committed to advocating for Palestinian statehood.
Saudi Arabia also plans to host an Arab and Islamic summit in Riyadh on 11 November to discuss Israel’s ongoing actions in Palestine and Lebanon, calling on the international community to condemn the violence.
