Israeli Army Radio reported that U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan presented Israeli officials with an updated proposal for normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has consistently maintained that normalization will only occur after a resolution to the Palestinian issue is reached.
According to the radio, Sullivan “presented the updated proposal to Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during his visit to Israel, for normalization with Saudi Arabia and the restoration of Gaza for international cooperation, and what Israel needs to offer in return.”
The proposal included: “normalization with Saudi Arabia, expanding a security umbrella provided by the United States and regional countries against Iran, investing billions of dollars in Gaza under Israeli influence, a deal for the release of hostages as part of ending the war, and advancing a political agreement with Hezbollah in the north.”
The steps required from Israel in return are “ending the war on Gaza, agreeing to release all abductees, and a declaration from the Israeli government that it supports creating a political horizon based on the two-state solution (Palestine and Israel).”
Additionally, according to the source, “Tel Aviv is expected to agree on a mechanism for governing Gaza: not an Israeli military rule nor Hamas, but a civilian Palestinian administration in cooperation with regional countries.”
The radio, citing unnamed sources who participated in the meetings, reported that “Sullivan did not hear a rejection of the proposal from Netanyahu, but it cannot be said that there is an agreement on all its details.”
The report continued: “It is worth noting that before October 7, Netanyahu was on the verge of reaching a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia in which Israel would announce that it would work on creating a political horizon for a two-state solution.”
The proposal was described as “a large and complex deal currently being discussed behind closed doors. This is not just normalization with Saudi Arabia, but also solutions presented by the United States for Gaza and the north.”
There has been no immediate comment from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office or the White House regarding what Army Radio reported as of 12:15 PM (GMT).
Earlier ago, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said that normalization with Saudi Arabia could bring “tremendous change,” expressing hope that the matter would be seriously considered.
Herzog added: “Two days ago, I met with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and heard from him what was officially announced, which is that there is an option for normalization with Saudi Arabia.”
Before Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7, Israeli officials increasingly talked about the impending normalization of relations with Saudi Arabia, but Riyadh has repeatedly affirmed that this will not happen until a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is reached.
The ongoing Israeli war on Gaza for about eight months has resulted in over 115,000 casualties, mostly children and women, and about 10,000 missing amid massive destruction and famine that have claimed the lives of children and the elderly.
Israel continues the war despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities and the International Court of Justice demanding immediate measures to prevent acts of genocide and improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
