Saudi Arabia is seeking security guarantees and help from the United States with its civilian nuclear program as a condition of normalizing relations with Israel, according to people familiar with the matter, setting out a critical decision that could reshape the political situation in the Middle East.
Discussions are ongoing and it was unclear exactly what the terms of any deal would look like, if it ever happens.
Increasing security guarantees for Saudi Arabia would likely face stiff resistance from some members of Congress, who have called on the Biden administration to downgrade Washington’s relationship with Riyadh.
Still, President Joe Biden has placed importance on normalizing ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel, as has Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, who believes that better relations between the two nations can help increase security in the Middle East. .
Israel and Saudi Arabia have cultivated unofficial ties for several years, although they remain without official diplomatic relations.
“The better relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors are, the better for everyone,” Biden said this Friday (10) at the end of a speech on the economy.
Israel has already secured diplomatic deals with other Arab nations, including Morocco, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. The Abraham Accords were a landmark achievement of the Trump administration and Biden has pledged to build on them, especially as Iran’s nuclear program advances.
A spokesman for the US National Security Council declined to confirm that Saudi Arabia was seeking US security guarantees, which were previously reported by the Wall Street Journal.
Instead, John Kirby, the NSC’s strategic communications coordinator, pointed to the accomplishments Biden achieved when he visited Israel and Saudi Arabia in the summer.
“The president’s trip to the region was very effective,” Kirby said, citing a deal over disputed Red Sea islands and a recent announcement by Oman that it would allow Israeli overflights.
“Let’s keep this diplomacy going,” he said.
The State Department did not respond to a request for comment. The Israeli Embassy in Washington had no comment.
The consequences of a US-brokered deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia can be widespread. That would cast doubt on the future of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, which has flared up again in recent weeks under Israel’s right-wing government.
US officials also believe that normalizing relations would add weight to a regional counterbalance against Iran, which has moved ahead with its nuclear enrichment in 2022.
Last year, Biden vowed Saudi Arabia would suffer “consequences” after the Saudi-led OPEC+ oil cartel unexpectedly announced it would cut production, although the Biden administration has no plans to take proactive steps to punish the kingdom. of the oil-rich Middle East.
On Friday, Saudi Arabia and Iran announced they had agreed to restore diplomatic ties after seven years of hostility, in a deal between regional arch-rivals that could have far-reaching implications for the Middle East.
Riyadh and Tehran plan to reopen their embassies in a China-brokered deal, a joint statement by Saudi Arabia and Iran said.
Kirby said Saudi officials kept the White House informed of talks as they progressed, but he downplayed Beijing’s role in brokering the deal, saying the roadmap for restoring ties also includes talks in Iraq and Oman.
Source: CNN Brasil
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