Prospects depend on Israel
A U.S.-brokered deal to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia is within reach, Biden administration officials said Tuesday. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration may reject the historic deal rather than accept Riyadh’s demands for a new commitment to the creation of a Palestinian state and an end to the war in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is fighting for his political survival. Photo: Reuters
“Saudi Arabia has made clear that [normalization] will require calm in Gaza and it will require a credible path to a Palestinian state. It may be that at this point Israel is unable or unwilling to take that path,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on May 22.
For months, the previous administration of former President Donald Trump had hoped that Netanyahu would win the long-standing prize of normalizing relations with Riyadh as part of a sweeping deal to halt the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and improve longstanding divisions in the region.
But Mr Netanyahu, under pressure from right-wing members of his ruling coalition and fighting for his political survival, has yet to sign off on elements of the deal that are key to reaching a deal with Saudi Arabia.
Secretary Blinken’s sobering prediction comes after a visit to the region over the weekend by Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, who held talks in Riyadh with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman before traveling to Israel, where he briefed Netanyahu on the White House’s Middle East blueprint.
Prime Minister Netanyahu does not prioritize the deal
Israel is in the early stages of an assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, the last Hamas stronghold that Netanyahu and other Israeli officials have demanded be captured, even if that means rejecting or delaying a deal with Saudi Arabia.
“Israel will achieve its wartime objectives of destroying Hamas’ military capabilities, freeing our hostages, and ensuring that Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel,” a senior Israeli official said Tuesday before Secretary Blinken spoke. “Achieving those objectives will further facilitate peace in the Middle East.”
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with Jake Sullivan, President Biden's national security adviser, over the weekend. Photo: Reuters
To encourage Saudi Arabia to recognize Israel, US officials have asked Riyadh to establish a more formal defense relationship with Washington, support the purchase of civilian nuclear energy and push for a new Palestinian state.
Following talks between national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Prince Mohammed in the eastern Saudi city of Dammam, the kingdom said they discussed a “semi-final version of a draft strategic agreement” between Washington and Riyadh.
“No one here would say this is going to happen,” said a senior administration official involved in normalization talks. “It has the potential to create an endgame scenario in Gaza as you look ahead.”
The deal is still in limbo.
Achieving a turning point in friendly relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel could reshuffle Middle East politics, strengthen the Israeli-Arab alliance against Iran and would be a diplomatic coup for President Biden as he faces a tough re-election campaign.
Brokering a deal to establish diplomatic relations between the region’s two most powerful nations would expand on the Abraham Accords signed by former President Donald Trump while in office. The accords led to normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco.
But convincing Mr Netanyahu to accept a new push for a Palestinian state has proved difficult after deadly Hamas attacks on southern Israel in October, which increased opposition to the idea among right-wing members of his government and much of the Israeli public.
Benny Gantz, a member of Israel's war cabinet, has been highly critical of Netanyahu's handling of the war in Gaza and has threatened to resign in June if the Israeli prime minister does not come up with a plan to end the war and find a proper solution for the strip of land with more than 2 million Palestinians.
Biden administration officials said that if Netanyahu continues to be tough, Washington could make public previously undisclosed details of the diplomatic package to pressure him. U.S. officials also said they have no plans to complete and implement the Saudi deal unless Israel agrees to the terms of the larger deal.
Quang Anh
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/thoa-thuan-binh-thuong-hoa-israel--a-rap-xe-ut-ngay-mot-xa-dan-vi-cuoc-chien-o-gaza-post296435.html
Comment (0)