US avoids discussing potential Saudi-Israel deal ahead of 2024 election.

Saudi Arabia’s Diplomatic ‌Relations with Israel: A Long Road ⁢Ahead

Saudi Arabia will not establish diplomatic ⁣relations with Israel in the near future, according to senior U.S. officials who sought to‌ temper expectations amid an Israeli‌ push for⁣ a regional security pact ​in the Middle East.

“We’ve had productive conversations,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters. “We’ve made progress⁤ on ‍a​ number of issues. ⁣I’m ‌not going to get into what the⁤ progress ‌is, but it is still ‍a long road to ‌go‍ with⁢ an uncertain ⁣future.”

Saudi Arabia has tantalized U.S. and ⁣Israeli officials ⁢with the hope of joining the ⁤Abraham Accords, a potential strategic triumph‌ that has arisen on the diplomatic ⁣horizon despite President Joe​ Biden’s‌ fraught relationship ​with ‍the Saudi ⁣royals. The oil-rich⁢ monarchy recently unveiled an ⁢analogous ⁤deal with Iran under China’s‍ auspices, but Israeli officials remain eager ⁣to formalize a developing relationship with the leading ⁣Gulf Arab state.

“Securing ⁤an⁢ alliance with Saudi Arabia wouldn’t be merely ⁢another diplomatic achievement; it‌ would form‌ the foundation upon ‌which true regional harmony can be built,” Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen⁤ wrote in a Tuesday column ‍for the Wall Street⁣ Journal. “Such a partnership might inspire other nations to pursue enduring peace.”

Those talks have been haunted by tensions between President Joe Biden⁤ and ‌Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin ⁤Salman, ‍whom he called a⁤ “pariah” following the assassination of Washington Post columnist ​Jamal ​Khashoggi, ​as well as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s power-sharing agreement with far-right Israeli lawmakers. ⁢Yet Cohen put a spotlight ​on⁣ Saudi “demands ⁢of the U.S.,” which he offered as a sign that U.S.-anchored security arrangement, “comparable ‍ [to the] American defense pledge”⁢ that has guarded ‍South Korea from ⁣North‌ Korea’s nuclear-armed regime, could lead to a breakthrough in⁤ the​ Gulf.

“Most of [the Saudi] ⁣ requests concern Iranian aggression and the kingdom’s ability to defend itself against this threat,” Cohen ⁢wrote. “This underscores Saudi Arabia’s perspective: The primary challenge isn’t Israel ‍but Iran, ‌which ​is intent on spreading its Shiite Islamic revolution throughout the region by means of violence, terrorism and nuclear-weapons development.”

Cohen’s appeal coincided with a report in the same publication‍ that Washington and Riyadh ⁣“have ‍agreed on the broad contours ⁢of a deal” ‍to join⁣ the⁤ Abraham Accords that could be finalized “in the next nine to⁢ 12 months.” ⁢That time frame would position Biden to unveil a major‌ diplomatic achievement ‌during ⁢an election year, just as then-President Donald Trump managed ⁤to unveil​ the original Abraham Accords with the United ⁣Arab ⁤Emirates and Bahrain in September 2020.

“We continue to discuss the possibility ⁤of normalization of relations ‌between Israel⁤ and Saudi Arabia with Saudi Arabia, with Israel,” Miller said. “We will continue to work towards that ‍aim, recognizing that it’s a difficult ⁤— it is a long and difficult process. But I ‌think the reports that we have reached some sort of ‌agreement vastly ⁤overstate where things ⁤stand.”

White ⁣House’s ⁢Perspective

White⁢ House national security ‌adviser⁤ Jake Sullivan met with the Saudi‍ crown prince ​late last month in service of “a common vision for a more peaceful, secure, prosperous,‍ and ⁤stable ​Middle East region ​interconnected with ⁤the world,” as a readout⁢ of ⁢their conversation put‌ it. Yet his team rejected the idea that the end is in sight.

“Just to be blunt here, I‌ think the reporting has left some people with the impression ⁣that ​discussions⁢ are farther⁣ along and closer ⁣to some sense of certainty than they actually are,” White House National Security Council spokesman ‌John Kirby said Wednesday. ⁣“There’s still a​ lot of conversations that⁢ have to occur before we ‍get there. So, the bottom line is:‌ There is no agreed-to set ⁣of negotiations. There’s no agreed-to ‌framework to ‌codify normalization ​— ​or any of the other security considerations ​that we, ‌and our friends, have ​in the region.”