Washington: The United States on Friday said Israel and Saudi Arabia are moving towards the outline of a historic deal brokered by Washington DC. This will be a significant step as Riyadh and Jerusalem normalise relations after decades of hostility.
There are several outcomes of this deal. For West Asia and the Muslim world, the deal means closer ties with Israel despite its treatment of Palestinians. Palestine has been one major cause of tensions between Israel and its neighbours in West Asia.
A rationalisation deal with Saudi Arabia means the oil-rich nation, which is the guardian of Islam’s two holiest sites, is recognizing the Jewish state. For the US it means more presence in the West Asia and Gulf (Middle East) region and for Joe Biden, the US President, it means an election-year diplomatic victory.
“All sides have hammered out, I think, a basic framework for what, you know, what we might be able to drive at,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby was quoted as saying by news agency AFP.
“But, as in any complex arrangement, as this will inevitably be, everybody is going to have to do something. And everybody is going to have to compromise on some things,” Kirby further added.
The US is urging both of its allies in West Asia to build on the 2020 Abraham Accords when the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco normalised ties with Israel.
Mohammed bin Salman while speaking to news agencies said both sides are getting closer to signing a new deal. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the deal “would be a quantum leap for the region” while addressing the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Saudi Arabia, however, is determined to secure a military pact requiring the United States to defend the kingdom in return for opening ties with Israel. Saudi Arabia also wants American help in developing a civilian nuclear programme in return – in a possible bid to counter Iran’s nuclear programme.
What About Palestine
This agreement, if signed, means Arab nations are decoupling themselves from the troubles in Palestine, which has remained under Israeli control for more than half a century.
Palestinians believe the normalisation agreements with the Arab nations serves the interests of the parties involved and forgets the troubles that affect Palestinians and their quest for self-rule.
A report by the Guardian said that even though Saudi Arabia is standing by the Arab peace initiative which demands a proper settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, there are demands being made to decision-makers in Ramallah to not question the deal.
The Guardian in its report cited an Palestinian Authority official who said funds from Saudi Arabia have dried up since 2021 and those funds are now being used as a bargaining chip to pressure them into not questioning the deal.
The US is also not too hopeful that the deal will be signed too soon. The report pointed out that the Saudis could be waiting to see who wins the 2024 polls because Donald Trump backed Mohammad Bin Salman during the Jamal Khashoggi controversy and Riyadh could see if he retakes the Oval Office.
The CIA director, William Burns, according to the report, was in Jordan capital Amman earlier this year and during a meeting he said that his agency estimates it will take a few years for both sides to sign a deal.
Saudi Arabia also wants the Mahmoud Abbas government to shift from Qatar and build stronger ties with MBS.