“Saudi Arabia ditches US deal for reconciliation with Israel – Reuters Riyadh has scrapped an ambitious defense deal with the US in exchange for normalizing relations with Israel. Instead, Saudi Arabia is pushing for a more modest military cooperation agreement.”, — write on: unn.ua
Details
Riyadh softened its stance on Palestinian statehood in an effort to seal a broad-based mutual security treaty earlier this year. The country’s authorities have informed Washington that Israel’s public commitment to the decision to create two states west of the Jordan River will be enough to normalize relations between the Persian Gulf kingdom.
Amid public anger in Saudi Arabia and across the Middle East over Israel’s military actions in the Gaza Strip, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has again made Israel’s recognition contingent on concrete steps to create a Palestinian state, according to two Saudi and three Western sources. state
According to Western diplomats, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu still wants to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia, which will give him wider recognition in the Arab world.
However, he faces strong opposition to any concessions to the Palestinians after Hamas invades the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, and is aware that any gesture toward statehood would split his ruling coalition.
For reference
With both leaders so far constrained by their domestic power structures, Riyadh and Washington hope a more modest defense pact between the nations can be struck before President Joe Biden leaves the White House next January.
According to the publication’s six sources, a full-fledged US-Saudi treaty must be approved by the US Senate with a two-thirds majority, but this will not happen if Riyadh does not recognize Israel. In September, bin Salman said that diplomatic relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia could only be established after the creation of an independent Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem.
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The deal, currently being negotiated, involves expanding joint military exercises and training to counter regional threats, mainly from Iran. According to the sources, the agreement will facilitate a partnership between American and Saudi defense companies, with guarantees to prevent cooperation with China.
The deal will boost Saudi Arabia’s investment in advanced technology, especially in drone defense. The US will increase its presence in Riyadh through training, logistics and cyber security support, and may deploy a Patriot missile battalion to enhance missile defense and integrated deterrence.
At the same time, it will not be a mutual defense treaty that obligates American troops to defend the world’s largest oil exporter in the event of a foreign attack.
How Trump’s victory affects the situation
Instead, the situation is complicated by the arrival of Donald Trump in the White House.
Although the president-elect’s plan to settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict excludes any provision for recognition of Palestinian statehood or sovereignty, he is a close ally of the Saudi crown prince.
Palestinian and some Arab officials fear that Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, the architect of the “Deal of the Century” and a close ally of the crown prince, could eventually convince him to support the plan.
How the prince reconciles Saudi priorities with this changing diplomatic landscape will be crucial in determining both his leadership and the future of the peace process, diplomats said.
What’s blocking the deal
The current US administration is not giving up hope of concluding an agreement on security guarantees before Biden leaves office in January, but a number of obstacles remain in the way. One person in Washington familiar with the progress of the talks said there was reason to be skeptical about whether there was enough time to strike a deal.
U.S. officials are aware the kingdom is still interested in formalizing the safeguards it has sought, especially to gain access to more advanced weaponry, but are unsure whether it would prefer to do so under Biden or wait for Trump, the source said.
We continue to discuss and have many directions on the table (with the Saudis),
The White House National Security Council declined to comment when asked about efforts to reach an agreement on US security guarantees for Saudi Arabia.
Netanyahu’s office also declined to comment on Riyadh’s position on Palestinian statehood.
A defense pact giving Saudi Arabia US military protection in exchange for recognizing Israel would transform the Middle East, uniting the two long-time enemies and linking Riyadh to Washington at a time when China is pushing for influence in the region.
This would allow the kingdom to bolster its security and deflect threats from Iran and its Houthi allies to avoid a repeat of the 2019 strikes on its oil facilities, which Riyadh and Washington blamed on Tehran. Iran denies any role.
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A high-ranking Saudi official said that the agreement is 95% ready, but Riyadh has decided to discuss an alternative agreement, because it is impossible without normalizing relations with Israel.
Two agency sources said that depending on the format, a stripped-down cooperation agreement could be approved without going through Congress before Biden leaves office.
There were other stumbling blocks in the negotiations on the conclusion of the treaty on mutual defense. For example, there has been no progress in talks on civilian nuclear cooperation since Saudi Arabia refused to sign the so-called “123 Agreement” with the US, which would have stripped Riyadh of its right to nuclear enrichment, six of the sources said.
Saudi Arabia’s objections to articles related to human rights have emerged as another area of disagreement, one Saudi source close to the talks told Reuters.