Top Israeli official to meet Sullivan for Saudi normalization strategy
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Talks on the war on Gaza and post-war strategies in light of Saudi Arabia's conditions for normalizing relations are on the table.
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Ron Dermer walks through the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2019 (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Axios reported on Tuesday that Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer is scheduled to travel to the US where he will meet with White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan and other senior Biden administration officials.
According to the report, they are due to hold talks on the war on Gaza and "Israel's" post-war plans in the Strip in light of Saudi Arabia's conditions for normalizing diplomatic relations with the regime.
Who is Dermer?
Dermer is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's closest and most trusted confidant and has key insight on possible strategies to reach a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia.
Before the outbreak of the war, Dermer played a crucial role in the talks for a normalization agreement.
The Biden administration has already made it clear that it supports Palestinian statehood as part of Saudi requirements to reach the agreement. The report states that the topic will likely be touched upon during the meetings.
Read more: US rushes post-war plans without Netanyahu, pushes for normalization
While several US officials have pushed for a post-war strategy involving a two state solution, Netanyahu has been very reluctant to get on board with this strategy.
His pretext for arguing against the two-state solution is the allegation that a Palestinian state would pose an existential threat to "Israel".
The great majority of members in his government are zionist extremists who are also in line with Netanyahu's position.
On January 17, Sullivan said that a potential agreement between "Israel" and Saudi Arabia would have considerable leverage over post-war strategies.
He outlined four key principles guiding US considerations for a political resolution post-war: preventing Gaza from being a source of "terror attacks on Israel", completing normalization agreements between "Israel" and neighboring Arab countries, establishing a Palestinian state, and providing security assurances for "Israel".
Blinken is reportedly planning to travel to "Israel" to hold his sixth visit since the outbreak of the war, Axios added.
Palestinian cause resolution prerequisite for normalization
Speaking to CNN on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum earlier this month, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said that Resolving the Palestinian issue is a prerequisite to normalizing ties with "Israel".
When CNN's Fareed Zakaria asked whether Riyadh would refuse to normalize ties without a "credible and irreversible Palestinian state, the Foreign Minister answered, "That's the only way we're going to get the benefit...So, yes, because we need stability, and only stability will come through resolving the Palestinian issue."
Read more: US, 'Israel' discuss shifting phases of war on Gaza: US official
Moreover, Al Saud underscored that the war in the Gaza Strip "has to stop."
"What we are seeing is the Israelis are crushing Gaza, the civilian population of Gaza," he said adding "This is completely unnecessary, completely unacceptable and has to stop."
Earlier, but also during the WEF in Davos, the Saudi Ambassador to Washington, Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, stated that her country is unable to pursue discussions regarding a potential normalization agreement with "Israel" before a ceasefire in Gaza comes into force.
"While there is violence on the ground and the killing persists, we cannot talk about the next day," she said.
