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| Saudi Arabia for normalization with Israel and joining the Abraham Accords |
The Hebrew newspaper "Israel Hayom" said that the Saudi government has conveyed messages to the United States in recent weeks indicating its readiness to return to discussions about joining the normalization agreements with Israel.
The newspaper reported that, according to information relayed by sources familiar with the details, the administration in Riyadh is imposing a series of impossible conditions on the current Israeli government.
According to three sources familiar with events in the US capital, Saudi Arabia has intensified its diplomatic activity in recent weeks.
According to one of these sources, Riyadh’s representatives contacted the White House, the US State Department, and a number of members of Congress with a unified message that included two main conditions: replacing Benjamin Netanyahu with a prime minister after the elections, and canceling the measures implemented by Minister Smotrich in the West Bank during the past three years.
According to the impression of American sources, the Saudis are hesitant between these two conditions, as they believe that as long as Netanyahu remains in power, he will support the innovative policy pursued by Smotrich in the West Bank.
Saudi Arabia is considering recognizing Israel in exchange for concessions.
The newspaper reported that Saudi Arabia considered officially recognizing Israel several times during the war, in exchange for major concessions from Israel in the West Bank.
In particular, the Saudis expected Netanyahu to clearly declare his initial willingness to establish a Palestinian state in the future, but the prime minister rejected these demands, and thus the initiative was abandoned.
She explained in this context that the late Senator Lindsey Graham had played a prominent role in the efforts made to bring the views of Israel and Saudi Arabia closer together in recent years.
Sources familiar with the Saudi moves indicated that Riyadh's proposals, in many cases, were aimed at "supporting the process and not necessarily reaching the final result."
The sources pointed out that the Kingdom severely hampered Trump’s efforts during the war with Iran, when it thwarted the process of opening the Strait of Hormuz to non-Iranian ships.
Saudi Arabia's cancellation of permission for the US to use its bases against Iran also angered the US president.
Therefore, the same sources believe that the Saudi move was intended to send a message to Trump that they are a useful partner for him, and it is also estimated that promoting a diplomatic move aimed to prevent a renewed war between Iran and the United States, which has already happened since then.
