US OFFERS SAUDI ARABIA DEFENSE TREATY TO SPUR ISRAEL NORMALIZATION: REPORT

Mon 10 June 2024:

The Biden administration is nearing the completion of a treaty with Saudi Arabia that would commit the U.S. to defending the Gulf nation, aiming to foster diplomatic ties between Riyadh and Israel, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The proposed agreement, known as the Strategic Alliance Agreement, is part of a broader package that includes a U.S.-Saudi civil nuclear pact, steps toward establishing a Palestinian state, and efforts to end the conflict in Gaza.

The treaty would require a two-thirds majority in the U.S. Senate for approval, a challenging threshold unless linked to Israeli-Saudi normalization. Modeled on the U.S.-Japan mutual security pact, the draft treaty would also grant the U.S. access to Saudi territory and airspace.

Additionally, the treaty seeks to strengthen U.S.-Saudi ties by preventing Chinese military bases or security cooperation in the kingdom.

The White House, U.S. State Department, and Saudi embassy in Washington have not commented on the report.

In a statement released last month, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the draft agreement as “nearly final.”

The first component of the deal includes a series of agreements between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, including defense guarantees and civil nuclear cooperation. The Biden administration would solidify its ties to Saudi Arabia at a time when adversary China is attempting to expand its influence in the Middle East.

A second component would normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, but that is contingent on a third complicated and aspirational component that would forge a pathway to a Palestinian state.

Last month, a source very familiar with the Kingdom’s position told CBS that Saudi Arabia has made clear that nothing can move forward without a two-state solution that includes Palestinian self-rule in both the West Bank and Gaza. Putting aside the Palestinian issue is nearly impossible now due to the widespread outcry in the Arab world over the immense humanitarian toll on Palestinians in Gaza since Israel invaded the 25-mile territory in pursuit of the Hamas fighters who killed 1,200 people on Oct 7.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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