Blinken hopes Saudi-Israeli normalization deal advances under Trump

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: MSNBC
19 Dec 2024 23:56

The US' top diplomat praised Trump's 2020 Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between "Israel" and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco.

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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivers a statement to the press after the meeting with the foreign ministers of the Arab Contact Group on Syria in Jordan's southern Red Sea coastal city of Aqaba, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. (AP)

In an interview with MSNBC on Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed hope that President-elect Donald Trump will continue efforts to normalize ties between Saudi Arabia and "Israel", acknowledging that a historic deal will not materialize under President Joe Biden's administration.

"The work that we've done on putting in place the elements of that deal, including what we and Saudi Arabia would do together, what they would do with Israel, all of that is now there," Blinken said.

"My hope is we'll move as far as we can, but it won't be complete. But we'll be able to hand it over, and then the next administration can decide how it wants to proceed."

Blinken praised Trump's 2020 Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between "Israel" and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco.

"Now the opportunity is there -- and I know this is something that the president (Trump) will be focused on -- to broaden that out with the Saudis," Blinken said.

Progress in normalization talks

On Tuesday, Haaretz reported that the Israeli occupation and Saudi Arabia have reportedly made significant progress in normalization talks, which could lead to a ceasefire agreement and a potential end to the war on Gaza.

Sources involved in the discussions revealed that Saudi Arabia had scaled back its demand for explicit Israeli recognition of a Palestinian state. Instead, the two parties agreed on a vague commitment by the Israeli occupation to a "path towards Palestinian statehood."

According to the Israeli website, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has no personal interest in formal recognition of a Palestinian state and only requires progress on the issue to secure domestic political and religious support for the deal.

Negotiations between the two parties have intensified in recent weeks, following a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is leading the talks through Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, with much of the Israeli government and security cabinet reportedly uninformed.

The United States is mediating the discussions, with both President Joe Biden's administration and President-elect Donald Trump playing key roles. Saudi Arabia is expected to receive US assurances, including a defense pact and access to advanced American weapons systems, as part of the broader deal.