Republican Senator Lindsey Graham revealed that he had urged former US President Donald Trump to support the deal being negotiated with Saudi Arabia, which could ultimately lead to a normalization deal with Israeli occupation.

The US deal with Saudi Arabia could include a defense treaty, which would require support from two-thirds of the Senate, as well as potential access to advanced US defense technology.

The deal, although it has not taken off, would be highly controversial among Democrat circles due to the unpopularity of both Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu within the blue party, and with a deal that requires support from as many senators as possible, every vote counts.

Biden will have to milk the Democratic party for any vote he can get and then rely on the Republicans' backing. Because they are more than likely to strike down anything propped up by a Democrat president, the 80-year-old will have to get top Republicans to voice support for the deal so that their Senators help him obtain his goal.

However, despite their opposition to him and his foreign policy, which is unpopular among conservatives, Republicans fancy the Israeli occupation, and they staunchly support the normalization deals struck under Trump between Arab states and the Israeli occupation, with many regarding the "Abraham Accords" as the greatest feat under the Trump administration.

This support is fragile, still. Any vocal opposition from the former GOP President could heavily tear down Biden's plans and cause Republicans to go against him. 

According to Graham, he briefed Trump about his talks with MBS after traveling to Saudi Arabia in April. 

"I told President Trump, listen, this is the natural extension of the Abraham Accords, and if we can do it, let's do it. It doesn't matter how it gets done, on whose watch it gets done. It'd be a good thing for the stability of the Middle East and our own national security and President Trump deserves his fair share of credit," the Republican Senator said.

To try to sell the idea to Trump, Graham told him Biden replicating his policies was "the highest sign of flattery," which he said the former President appreciated.

Kushner pushing Trump to back Biden

Moreover, Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, the architect of the normalization deals, also urged him to support Biden's plan to potentially push Saudi to normalize ties with the Israeli occupation, Axios also reported, citing two sources familiar with the matter.

Related News

US adds Colombia to drug list, drawing Petro’s rebuke

China, US reach framework agreement on TikTok

Read next: US push for a Saudi-'Israel' deal is all about China: Bloomberg

Kushner, also trying to sell him off on the idea, told him that Biden's move would vindicate his actions and policy in the Middle East.

"Jared Kushner has been very helpful. He had some ideas for the Palestinians (in the context of an Israeli-Saudi deal). I know that he's offered to help, I think the White House sees him as helpful," Graham said.

Reportedly, Riyadh set three conditions in stone for a normalization agreement with the Israeli occupation, which includes access to advanced US defense technology, a defense alliance with Washington, and the permission to set up a nuclear program with civil purposes with US backing.

Israeli channel Kan political affairs commentator Gili Cohen said in August the Israeli security and military establishment is monitoring the discussions between the US administration and senior officials in Saudi Arabia over a huge arms deal that includes advanced systems, and in turn, paves the way for the path of normalization.

Cohen revealed that in recent weeks, Saudi Arabia had conveyed a message to the United States and "Israel", in which it stated that it did not want small steps on the way to normalization, but rather important ones, that is, a big package that includes weapons.

Cohen suggested that if this happens "Israel must obtain advanced weapon systems in return, in order to maintain the qualitative superiority of the Israeli army." 

Israeli Channel 13, on the other hand, quoted a source close to the premier as saying that while the occupation does not rule out a Saudi nuclear program in exchange for normalization, "[it] first wants to know what the level of American monitoring of such a process would be, what would be the level of involvement and what would be Israel’s insurance policy, and accordingly devise a clear position."

PA wants in on the talks

Washington will dispatch veteran senior Middle East advisor, Bret McGurk, to Saudi Arabia this week to meet with senior officials of the Palestinian Authority in the context of a mega-deal in the workings, which will establish a framework for normalization between Saudi Arabia and "Israel," a previous Axios report said, citing unnamed Palestinian sources familiar with the issue.

The Biden administration will look to reach "realistic understandings" with the Palestinian delegation, a US source told Axios. Through the deal, the US is expected to secure some of the PA's interests in the West Bank, but the PA's greenlighting of normalization between Riyadh and the occupation will not entail comprehensive work to aid in Palestinian statehood aspirations.

McGurk is expected to meet with Hussein al-Sheikh, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' deputy, the head of the PA's intelligence, Major General Majed Faraj, and Majdi Khaldi, Abbas' senior diplomatic advisor, Axios reported.

Sweeten the deal

The Biden administration seeks to present the deal as beneficial to the Palestinian people to Democrat members of the Senate who are in opposition to Saudi Arabia's government and that of "Israel." 

On the other hand, Saudi Arabia seeks to "legitimize" "any eventual agreement" with the Israeli occupation and push back on critics accusing it of "sacrificing" the Palestinian people and their efforts to establish an independent state, according to WSJ.