Thomas Nides talks Saudi normalization deal with Israel

Published July 2nd, 2023 - 07:09 GMT
Thomas Nides
US Ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides welcomes Secretary of State Antony Blinken on arrival to Ben Gurion airport in Lod near the Israeli city of Tel Aviv. (Photo by Jacquelyn Martin / POOL / AFP)

ALBAWABA - In a group interview with a number of Israeli media outlets, the American ambassador to Israel, Thomas Nides, said that the signing of the Israeli normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia is going to be very complex and difficult to achieve, but President Biden is trying to expedite the process during his term as president.

Upon leaving his post as the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Nides held a press conference during which he stressed the importance of strong ties between Israel and the U.S.

"Israel must worry when we don't care about it, but we do it every day; we care about security, judicial overhaul, and settlements," Nides said in a statement. 

Nides added that: "In order to investigate the potential for a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia, Biden gave his team the go-ahead. Although I'm unsure of the team's final destination, Biden has already made up his mind and intends to follow through. When will that take place? It is a complicated situation, so I'm not sure. The Abraham Accords Agreement has been remarkably successful, but it is very difficult to implement, and if it follows through, the region will look drastically different.".

"If there is a possible normalization with Saudi Arabia, it will come through Washington... And who knows, in the end, what's going to happen? But Joe Biden is inclined towards making it happen".

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