ALBAWABA - The Israeli foreign minister said on Thursday that a framework for a normalization agreement for relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia might be in place by early next year after the three nations signaled progress in the delicate negotiations.
In talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the margins of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, Biden expressed optimism about the prospects.
Separately, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stated that "every day we get closer" to striking an agreement.
Normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia would radically reshape the Middle East by publicly uniting two major US allies in the face of Iran and would be a foreign-policy coup for President Joe Biden as he seeks re-election in late 2024.
But a Rubik’s cube of tie-in issues looms. Riyadh’s quest for a civilian nuclear program tests US and Israeli policy.
Saudi and US call for the Palestinians to make gains under any deal are unpalatable for Netanyahu’s hard-right government, Reuters reported.
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen told Israel’s Army Radio: "The gaps can be bridged. It will take time. But there is progress".
"I think there is certainly a likelihood that, in the first quarter of 2024, four or five months hence, we will be able to be in at a point where the details (of a deal) are finalized".
