America admits the difficulty of normalizing Tel Aviv-Riyadh relations.
According to I24, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken spoke on Thursday about the prospect of normalizing relations between Tel Aviv and Riyadh.
Blinken emphasized the profound impact normalization could have on the region, saying, “First, if we can get there, it will be transformative. Go back to 1979, even earlier – and its move towards a much more stable and integrated regional vision for the rapprochement of the leading Islamic state with Israel, which will have repercussions beyond the Middle East. So if it can be achieved, I think it will be transformative.”
However, he acknowledged the difficulties and complications in this path and stated: “Achieving the normalization of Tel Aviv-Riyadh relations is not easy. “There are some really tough issues on the table that we’re working on.”
“I don’t want to get too hung up on the difficulties, but I can say this: I think we’re invested in testing this,” Blinken continued. I believe so are the Saudis and Israelis. But we still have hope. “It is necessary to grapple with many difficult practical problems, and when we may reach the goal, we do not know.”
The statements of the US Secretary of State are being made while there are contradictory statements about the negotiations regarding the normalization of Tel Aviv-Riyadh relations.
While Saudi Arabia has not yet officially recognized the Israeli regime and did not participate in the 2020 Ibrahim agreement brokered by Donald Trump, American officials now consider the prospect of normalizing relations between Riyadh and Tel Aviv as likely.
Last week, an official in the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Riyadh has informed Washington that it will stop any negotiations related to the normalization of relations with Tel Aviv or any action towards it.
Earlier, a spokesperson of the US Foreign Ministry confirmed in a conversation with the Zionist newspaper “Israel Hum” that despite the intensive and many efforts made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and American diplomats over the past few months, there is little chance of reaching a normal agreement. There is a connection between Tel Aviv and Riyadh.
The report of the Zionist newspaper “Israel Hum” states that “Israel” and Saudi Arabia are currently not close to a normalization agreement.
The spokesperson of the US Department of State told the Zionist newspaper after the meeting of US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer that Israel and Saudi Arabia are in no way to reach a normalization agreement. They are not close and the differences are still there.
The spokesman of the US State Department, who did not disclose his name, Israel Hume, also said: “It is too early to say that we are close to any agreement.” He noted that “there are issues that the two sides must resolve by themselves.”
During his speech, the American official emphasized that such an agreement for the normalization of relations between Tel Aviv and Riyadh is in the interest of the United States, and noted that the American government fully supports the normalization of relations between Riyadh and Israel, and talks with its regional partners, including Saudi Arabia will continue to discuss how and if it is possible to continue moving forward in this direction.