There are many reports coming out of the White House about the possibility of a normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia under American sponsorship, these reports join other reports that prevailed about a year ago but turned out to be far from reality for the time being. The Americans are apparently trying to create a new dialogue with the Saudis, in which they raise the issue of normalization with Israel.
The Saudis, for their part, listen to their colleagues from Washington and raise questions, questions and demands. In particular, the demands of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's office, known as MBS, are from the Americans and not necessarily from Israel.
There is one fundamental Saudi demand from Israel, and that is progress and concrete steps towards the Palestinians that will mature until the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel according to what both sides agree, with the basis being the Arab initiative from the 2002 Beirut conference.
Saudi King Salman, Photo: AFP
The Americans tried to convince the Saudis that the current Israeli government was not ready to take concrete steps and continue negotiations with the Palestinians, and suggested that the Saudis make do with initial gestures to the Palestinians by Israel, such as freezing settlements and construction in the territories and East Jerusalem for a certain period, and another series of leniencies for the Palestinians in Gaza and the territories.
The Saudis, for their part, are not impressed by the American proposals coordinated with Israel and demand concrete steps and real negotiations, regardless of the composition of the current Netanyahu government.
The Saudi royal family knows very well that neither Benny Gantz nor Yair Lapid will be willing to sit in a government with Netanyahu and will not be willing to give him credit for peace with Saudi Arabia. The Saudis themselves are not interested in giving gifts to the Biden administration during the US presidential election, given the rift with Biden because of his attacks on the crown prince and the threat of punishment for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Saudi Arabia and the US prepare for a huge military exercise // Photo: Saudi Defense Ministry
Senior members of the Saudi royal family said they had recently conducted polls in the kingdom on the issue of peace with Israel, and it turned out that an overwhelming majority of Saudi Arabia favors peace with Israel, but only after the Palestinian issue is resolved.
Therefore, the crown prince has no intention of changing or amending his proposal to Israel at this stage, especially since King Salman himself is handling this case with the Americans, leaving the rest of the Saudi demands from the Americans in the hands of his young successor. The officials add that the Saudis' demands on the Americans boil down to advanced weapons deals, including F-35 stealth fighters, nuclear weapons for generating electricity, a defense alliance, setting oil prices and continuing to lead the Arab and Muslim world, and a series of agreements in the fields of energy and trade.
Saudi arabia. Her status has improved, Photo: GettyImages
Saudi Arabia's status today is much better than it was ten years ago, and the kingdom is being courted by all the powers, from China through rich East Asian countries to Russia and the European Union, and also by Britain, which is trying to return to being an influential factor in the world.
The Biden administration doesn't care much about the Saudis, Riyadh says, and they will wait until they see who will sit in the White House in 2024 and then decide where they are headed. Until then, Benjamin Netanyahu must rethink the composition of his government and how he handles the Palestinian issue, says a senior Saudi royal official.
The writer is the representative of the Saudi Elaph website in Israel
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