FALCON POWERS – On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the United States and Saudi Arabia are very close to finalizing a set of agreements in the areas of nuclear energy, security, and defense cooperation as part of a broader deal for normalization between Riyadh and Israel.
In his testimony before a House panel, Blinken said that the final touches on the agreements may be completed “within weeks,” but warned that a broader normalization process cannot begin unless there is calm in Gaza and a credible path to a Palestinian state. He told the Appropriations Committee, “These agreements are in principle very close to being completed. Of course, we will come to Congress with them when they are ready for review, but we may be within weeks of being able to finalize them.”
However, Blinken said that in order to move forward with normalization, Saudi Arabia has made clear that even with the completion of the agreements between the two countries, two things must be achieved: a restoration of calm in Gaza, and a credible path to a Palestinian state.
Earlier this month, media sources reported that a draft of principles and proposals had been formulated, aimed at reshaping the troubled region under U.S. leadership, following the disruption caused by the Islamic Resistance Movement’s (Hamas) attack on Israel on October 7th and the subsequent war in Gaza.
But reaching the broader deal remains largely elusive due to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s insistence on rejecting any plans for a Palestinian state.
Blinken said Washington is working to restore calm in Gaza through a prisoner swap deal that could lead to a ceasefire, but the moment of choice is approaching for Israel.
