Michigan, USA: Republican Senator Lindsey Graham revealed that he recently spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and believes a normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia is possible before the end of the year.
Senator Graham, speaking to Reuters during a campaign event in Michigan to support Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, mentioned that Netanyahu is keen on pursuing a deal with Saudi Arabia. He added, “I think the right time to do this is during President Joe Biden’s administration.”
He further noted that Vice President Kamala Harris is “more committed to the left,” and has not shown much interest in pursuing such an agreement, but Biden is eager to reach a deal and could garner the necessary Democratic votes.
Last month, the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the topic of normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia is still on the agenda. It explained that the message inferred from the appearance of Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States at a conference attended by Israeli figures is that Riyadh is still keeping the possibility of normalization on the table.
The political correspondent for the newspaper, Itamar Eichner, reported, “About a week ago, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Washington, Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.”
The Israeli report assumed that during this meeting, the Saudi ambassador received a green light to meet face-to-face with high-level Israeli officials in an unprecedented manner, to address them and listen to their speeches.
Earlier, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud stressed that there will be no normalization between the Kingdom and Israel without a clear and reliable path toward establishing a Palestinian state.
In an interview with CNN, the minister emphasized the need to stop the ongoing “massacre” against civilians in the Gaza Strip, pointing out that the key to de-escalation in the region is to end the conflict in Gaza.
In May, the U.S. ambassador to Israel mentioned that formal Israeli-Saudi relations, as part of a trilateral agreement involving Washington, would require the easing of hostilities in Gaza and discussions on the future of Palestinian governance.
Ambassador Jack Lew said, “I believe there will be a period of calm in Gaza, and there needs to be a dialogue on how to address the issue of the future Palestinian governance.”
He added during a conference hosted by the Israel Democracy Institute, “In my view, this strategic benefit is worth the risk of engaging in this discussion. But this is a decision that the government and people of Israel must make.”
