Sources in the Arab kingdom and the United States told the Wall Street Journal that Regent Ben Salman has withdrawn from progress toward normalization with Israel because of the Democratic candidate's victory
Ben Salman
Photography:
Reuters
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Saudi Crown Prince Ben Salman have not reached an agreement on normalization after the latter withdrew from it due to Biden's victory in the US presidential election, the Wall Street Journal reported last night (Friday).
Two Saudi advisers and two senior US officials told the newspaper that Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Trump had hoped to win guarantees from Prince Ben Salman for the possibility of signing a normalization agreement between the two countries.
Saudi sources told the American newspaper that Ben Salman was actually eager to establish new ties with the Biden administration.
According to the report, the prince was hesitant about such a move now, when he could use a normalization agreement later to help him establish ties with the new administration.
Against this background, Saudi officials told the Wall Street Journal that the signing of an agreement between Israel and the kingdom, mediated by the Biden government, could establish relations with the new president.
On the other hand, a Saudi source and a diplomat in Riyadh told Reuters on Friday that the Saudi king himself did not know about the meeting between Netanyahu and Ben Salman, and that normalization is not expected as long as he lives.
As you may recall, the Wall Street Journal reported a few months ago that there was a dispute between the king and the regent.
While Salman adhered to the Arab initiative, the prince would like to skip over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and establish an alliance with Jerusalem.
