Summary:
- Saudi Arabia and Israel are reportedly negotiating an agreement with U.S. involvement for potential normalization, though the White House has downplayed the progress.
- The discussions have been described as productive, but the path to normalization is still uncertain, and Saudi Arabia's specific requests are yet to be resolved.
- Saudi Arabia's demands may include American support for a civilian nuclear program, a defense pact similar to NATO, fewer restrictions on arms sales, and potential concessions from Israel towards Palestinians.
- The U.S. might seek limitations on Saudi Arabia's ties with China as part of the agreement.
Saudi Arabia and Israel could be inching closer to normalization. The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday the two sides are negotiating terms of an agreement via the United States that they hope to finalize in the next nine to 12 months. The White House threw cold water on the reports just hours after they were released and said it gave the impression that discussions were perhaps further along than they actually are.
Listen in. We've had productive conversations. There's a number of issues that we have discussed both with the Israeli government and with the Saudi government. Those conversations continue. I expect there will be more happening in the coming weeks. We've made progress on a number of issues. I'm not going to get into what the progress is, but it is still a long road to go up with an uncertain future. But it is an important issue that we think we should continue to pursue. Matthew Miller, their State Department spokesperson, speaking about the conversations between Riyadh and Jerusalem, but the road to normalization is long and Saudi Arabia's asks still need to be hammered out. So what's on the list of demands here? Well, Saudi Arabia is expected to seek American support for a civilian nuclear program, a defense pact similar to NATO with Washington and fewer restrictions on arms sales to the kingdom. Saudi Arabia could also request Israel make concessions towards the Palestinians. And from Washington's side, reports suggest the U.S. will ask Saudi Arabia to limit its growing relationship with China, including confirmation that it won't sell oil to China in Renminbi.