US dispatches envoy for normalization talks with Saudi Arabia
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Jake Sullivan meets with Saudi officials, including MBS, to discuss a possible normalization deal with "Israel" in a low-profile meeting.
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US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, DC, on December 12, 2022. (AFP)
US President Joe Biden has dispatched National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan to Suadi Arabia for talks on the normalization process with "Israel" with the Saudi Prime Minister and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, The Washington Post reported on Friday.
In a brief statement, the White House said Sullivan landed in Jeddah on Thursday "to discuss bilateral and regional matters, including initiatives to advance a common vision for a more peaceful, secure, prosperous, and stable Middle East."
According to the statement, the US official is allegedly after a permanent peace deal in Yemen, which comes after the US supported financially and legally the Saudi-led aggression on the country, which has lasted for more than 8 years.
An unnamed White House National Security Council official told The Washington Post that the American envoy "hopes to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia."
The state-run Saudi Press Agency said the two sides "discussed the Saudi-US strategic relations and ways to enhance them in various fields, in addition to the latest regional and international developments of mutual concern."
The low-profile meeting, with no pictures taken, saw the attendance of high-ranking Saudi officials, including the defense and energy ministers and the head of the Saudi Public Investment Fund.
Sullivan looks to build on the efforts of the Trump administration that introduced the so-called "Abraham Accords", a series of normalization deals with several heads of Arab regimes, including Morocco's Mohammed VI and the UAE's Bin Zayed. The US has now reignited efforts to bring MBS to officially normalize relations with "Israel" as he heads the most wealthy and influential of its targeted Arab states.
The Saudis have previously stated that they will not officially recognize "Israel" before the resolution of the "Israeli-Palestinian conflict."
However, a potential deal that could hypothetically ensure a "two-state solution" is noticeably absent from current discussions among Israeli officials, marking a stark contrast to its prominence among Israelis during the 1990s, which pushed for the Oslo Accords.
According to The Washington Post, Jake Sullivan's visit serves as a subsequent step to Secretary of State Antony Blinken's recent trip to Saudi Arabia. During his visit, Blinken actively promoted the idea of normalization to Saudi officials, where the Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal Bin Farhan said normalization with "Israel" would have "limited benefits" if it is not preceded by a "pathway to peace for the Palestinian people."
US obstructs peace in Yemen
The US has continuously posed as a peace-bearer in Yemen, however, the reality tells otherwise. In fact, the US has supported the Saudi and Emirati aggression on Sanaa with diplomatic and military support. It also continues to lay siege on Yemen, worsening the humanitarian crisis in the country.
Officials in Sanaa have stated on multiple occasions that the US is obstructing several proposals which would bring a peace deal closer in Yemen, including the payment of public sector salaries, which have gone unpaid for several years.
The head of the Supreme Political Council in Yemen, Mahdi Al-Mashat, warned earlier in May, of possible consequences of continued obstruction of peace in Yemen, saying, "Whoever responds to American blackmail is the one who bears responsibility, and the Saudis hold primary responsibility for the situation in the region."
The Supreme Economic Committee in Yemen stressed that the deterioration of the humanitarian and economic situation in Yemen "is the result of deliberate action by the US, UK, and France."
