Washington set to lift 3-year ban on offensive weapons to Riyadh : FT

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Financial Times
27 May 2024 04:42

The newspaper reports that this comes as part of the United States' efforts to push form Saudi-Israeli normalization efforts.

US President Joe Biden shares a fist bump with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during their first meeting in Riyadh after Biden called Saudi Arabia a "Pariah" state, Saudi Arabia, July 2022. (AFP)

The United States is set to lift the ban on the sale of attack weapons to Saudi Arabia in the coming few weeks, the Financial Times reported on Sunday citing US officials.

US President Joe Biden suspended the sale of offensive weapons to Riyadh three years ago after calling it a "pariah" state, citing human rights violations in the kingdom, the murder of American-Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and concerns that US-supplied weapons are being used in crimes committed in Yemen against civilians, including children, during the ongoing war on the country since 2015.

But Washington has shifted its policy on relations with Saudi Arabia as part of its efforts to persuade the Arab government to normalize ties with the Israeli occupation amid the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Steps also included drafting a bilateral US-Saudi defense agreement and a nuclear agreement between the two, something which Riyadh has been requesting for years amid a "growing concern with Iran."

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last week that the Biden administration might reach a final normalization agreement within weeks.

Senior US officials stated this week that Washington and Riyadh were nearing the completion of a series of bilateral agreements, including the defense pact and cooperation on Saudi Arabia's emerging civilian nuclear program.

Once the pact is completed, it would be part of a broader deal offered to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, prompting him to consider making concessions to secure normalized ties with Riyadh.

However, it is unclear what the Israeli position is on the Saudi nuclear ambitions, or the defense pact that could be seen as a threat to the entity's military "qualitative edge" doctrine.

No concrete steps required

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told the Financial Times earlier this month that the Biden administration will not be signing a security agreement with Saudi Arabia without the latter agreeing to normalize ties with the Israeli occupation.

Riyadh had at first conditioned that a tangible path toward the so-called "two-state" must be put on track before establishing diplomatic ties with "Israel". But it has since toned down its demand, now only requesting an "Israel" "commitment" rather than concrete steps.

Regional sources said that Saudi officials have not stated exactly what an "acceptable "pathway to a Palestinian state" would involve, hence they can strike a deal with "Israel" without it involving any binding moves, according to Reuters.

Last month, Reuters reported that if the pact between Saudi Arabia and the US takes place in which the latter provides "military protection" for the former in exchange for normalization with "Israel", the Middle East would go through severe changes, especially in light of China making inroads in the region.

Additionally, this could give Biden a much-needed "diplomatic victory" ahead of the upcoming US elections.

A senior Israeli official told Reuters that there was "zero chance Netanyahu would talk about a Palestinian state."

"As Israel has made clear, the Palestinians will not have sovereignty in terms of being able to have an army or to enter treaties with Iran or to threaten Israel in any way."

However, that "doesn't mean the Saudis can't talk about it, or anyone else," the official said explaining Riyadh's public position.