ALBAWABA - The United States informed Israel of its intention to broker a normalization deal with Saudi Arabia provided that Israel halts judicial overhaul and resumes peace talks with Palestinians.
After the Arab League summit, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) talked on the phone, facilitated by Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al Zayani, to talk about the possibility of an official normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Israeli media outlets reportedly said.
These talks come in efforts to finalize an alleged normalization deal by the end of 2023. No progress was yet made in the talks, some say that MBS rejected meeting with Netanyahu.
A Channel 12 news report claimed that both Washington and Riyadh are attempting to put pressure on Israel to resume diplomatic discussions with the Palestinians, and the U.S. is also demanding that Netanyahu cease his government's contentious judicial overhaul plan.
During his speech at the Arab League summit, Mohammed Bin Salman told the attendees that "the Palestinian issue was and remains the central issue for Arab countries, and it is at the top of the kingdom’s priorities."
In 2020, the U.S. mediated what is known as Abraham Accords, which lead to a series of normalization statements between Israel, UAE, and Bahrain. Later on, Morocco followed and signed a normalization deal with Israel as well.
Latest talks are also hoped to initiate direct flights between Saudi Arabia and Israel, which will allow Muslims living in Israel easier Hajj routes as Eid Al-Adha approaches.
Netanyahu has repeatedly voiced the hope of reaching a peace accord with Saudi Arabia, saying it would be a “quantum leap” for regional peace that would effectively end the Arab-Israeli conflict, The Jewish Chronicle reported.
