US says no defense pact with Saudi without Israeli normalization deal
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The Biden administration underlines that it would not sign a defense pact with Saudi Arabia without the latter agreeing to normalization with the Israeli occupation.
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White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan speaks during a press briefing at the White House, April 24, 2024, in Washington (AP)
The Biden administration will not be signing a security agreement with Saudi Arabia without the latter agreeing to normalize ties with the Israeli occupation, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told the Financial Times on Saturday.
"You can't disentangle one piece from the others," he said in reference to Saudi Arabia and the Israeli occupation, both key regional allies of the United States.
Sullivan dismissed circulating news about the US considering a defense agreement with Riyadh if the Israeli occupation refused to make concessions to the Palestinian Resistance in the Gaza Strip amid ongoing ceasefire talks.
While Saudi Arabia wants the Israeli occupation to recognize a Palestinian state, the US has been seeking to reverse the situation and have Riyadh and other Muslim states normalize ties with "Israel" in order to convince the latter to make concessions to the Palestinian people.
The US plans come despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeatedly rejecting any deal that includes a two-state solution, i.e., granting Palestinians sovereignty over their own land occupied by the Western-backed Zionist regime.
"The integrated vision is a bilateral understanding between the US and Saudi Arabia combined with normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia, combined with meaningful steps on behalf of the Palestinian people," Sullivan told the Financial Times.
US President Joe Biden was planning on publicly addressing "the path [toward]... a more peaceful region," Sullivan said.
"I do expect in the months ahead that you will hear from the president and others of us more of the path that we believe could produce a more secure Israel and a more peaceful region," the top official added.
US officials claim that they are committed to securing a ceasefire deal and ending the Israeli war on Gaza due to it obstructing President Joe Biden's vision for a post-war Middle East - not due to the countless massacred civilians and Israeli violations of international law.
The US is eyeing normalization between the Israeli occupation and Saudi Arabia, which Riyadh has ironically been massively hinging on a solution to the Palestinian issue, which in turn cannot start without a ceasefire in Gaza.
About two weeks ago, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Biden administration was trying to conclude a diplomatic deal aimed at pressuring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to recognize a Palestinian state in exchange for normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia.
A source in the Saudi royal family told Makan that the ball was now in Netanyahu's court, and he must choose between peace with Saudi Arabia and solving the Palestinian issue or continuing the conflict with the Palestinians without peace with Saudi Arabia.
