US President Joe Biden is considering meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss a possible agreement between the US and Saudi Arabia, which could also include normalization with Israel. This was reported yesterday (Monday) on the American website "Axios".
According to the report, if the meeting materializes, it will take place during the G20 leaders' summit scheduled for September 9th in India. However, sources at the White House have emphasized that a final decision on this matter has not yet been made at this stage, and the President is considering his options. The Saudi Embassy in Washington also did not respond to the report.
As reported two weeks ago in the Wall Street Journal, the US and Saudi Arabia had reached preliminary agreements on a normalization agreement with Israel as part of the security agreement between Washington and Riyadh. According to the report, the security agreement between the US and the Arab Kingdom is conditioned on Israeli concessions towards the Palestinians, the extent of which is not clear – whether it involves recognizing a Palestinian state or simply refraining from annexation and easing measures, as seen in the Abraham Accords.
Among other things, it was reported that the Saudis will receive security guarantees from the United States and American assistance for their civilian nuclear program. In return, the Americans will align with Saudi Arabia on the Western side, rather than the Russian and Chinese side. As part of the agreement, China will not be allowed to build military bases in the kingdom's territory or deploy internet and cellular infrastructures there.
However, the newspaper quoted American sources as saying that advisors to Mohammed bin Salman have indicated that he is not in a rush to advance normalization of relations with Israel, given the presence of an extremist coalition opposing the establishment of a Palestinian state. In any case, the window of opportunity to reach an agreement is within the coming year, before the U.S. presidential elections in November 2024.
