The United States and Saudi Arabia are about to sign a mega deal, but the Gaza war threatens to throw a spanner in the works. This message the CNN.
The deal consists of three components, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said yesterday, according to the news channel. The first component consists of a package of agreements between the US and the kingdom; a second component includes normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel; the third component a path towards the establishment of a viable Palestinian state. “They’re all connected,” Miller said.
Although normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel was a realistic option before October 7, this is now the biggest stumbling block. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is in Riyadh this week to negotiate with the Saudis. He said that there can only be normalization when there is peace again in Gaza and there is a credible prospect of a Palestinian state.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not want an independent Palestinian state. He also does not want to stop the war in Gaza until Hamas is eliminated. Israel’s inflexible position threatens to throw a spanner in the works. Analysts believe Saudi Arabia may be pushing for a Plan B, a deal with the US without a normalization agreement with Israel. However, this is a sensitive issue in the United States, which still firmly supports Israel.
If a normalization deal is reached, it is expected to be modeled on the Abraham Accords, the treaties that four Arab states concluded with Israel in 2020 thanks to US mediation.
