The New York Times reported Sunday that Israeli officials who recently met with their American counterparts "got the impression" that moving toward a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia would require "significant progress" on Israeli concessions to the Palestinians.
U.S. officials in Jeddah on Thursday told their counterparts of "cautious optimism" that progress toward an agreement could be made while talks continue.
Bin Salman, Photo: AP
Israeli officials, who recently met with American counterparts, got the impression that while the first phase of the negotiations did not include any demand for significant Israeli concessions in the conflict with the Palestinians, they now believe that the deal will require significant progress on the issue.
According to a security source quoted in The New York Times, although King Salman has transferred most of his powers to his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, he is involved in talks with the United States to ensure that the agreement does include clear Israeli steps toward the Palestinians.
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The Saudis, according to the Israeli impression, will not be satisfied with Netanyahu's promise not to annex the West Bank, something that the current government does not even foresee. Instead, they will require significant action on the ground.
According to the report, discussions between the United States and Saudi Arabia raised the possibility that the opposition leaders in Israel, who so far have refused to enter a government with Netanyahu, would agree to withdraw their opposition and join a unity government in favor of establishing diplomatic relations with the Saudis.
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