Saudi Arabia has abandoned an ambitious defense agreement with Washington in exchange for normalizing relations with Israel. Now Riyadh is pushing for a more modest military cooperation agreement. This is reported by Reuters, writes UNN.
Details
In an attempt to conclude a large-scale mutual security treaty earlier this year, Riyadh softened its stance on recognizing Palestinian statehood. The country's authorities told Washington that Israel's public commitment to the decision to create two states west of the Jordan River will be enough to normalize relations between the kingdom of the Persian Gulf.
According to two Saudi and three Western sources, amid public anger in Saudi Arabia and across the Middle East over Israel's military actions in the Gaza Strip, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has once again made Israel's recognition dependent on concrete steps to establish a Palestinian state.
According to Western diplomats, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains committed to normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia, which will give him wider recognition in the Arab world.
However, he faces strong opposition to any concessions to the Palestinians after Hamas invaded the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, and is aware that any gesture towards statehood will lead to a split in his ruling coalition.
for Reference
Since both leaders are still limited by their internal security structures, Riyadh and Washington hope that a more modest defense pact between the states can be concluded before President Joe Biden leaves the White House in January next year.
According to six sources of the publication, a full-fledged US-Saudi treaty should be approved by the US Senate by a two-thirds majority, but this will not happen if Riyadh does not recognize Israel. In September, bin Salman said that diplomatic relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia can be established only after the creation of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Ізраїль та "Хезболла" звинувачують один одного у порушенні перемир'я28.11.24, 16:21
The agreement, which is currently being discussed, provides for the expansion of joint military exercises and training to counter regional threats, mainly from Iran. According to sources, the agreement will promote a partnership between us and Saudi defense companies, with guarantees to prevent cooperation with China.
The agreement will encourage Saudi Arabia to invest in cutting-edge technologies, especially drone protection. The United States will increase its presence in Riyadh through training, logistics, and cybersecurity support, and may deploy a Patriot missile battalion to strengthen missile defense and integrated deterrence.
At the same time, it will not be a mutual defense treaty that obliges US troops to protect the world's largest oil exporter in the event of a foreign attack.
how does Trump's premoga affect the situation
But the situation is complicated by the arrival of Donald Trump at the White House.
Although the president-elect's plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict excludes any provisions recognizing the statehood or sovereignty of a Palestinian state, he is a close ally of the Saudi Crown Prince.
Palestinian and some Arab officials fear that Trump and his son - in-law Jared Kushner are the architect of the "deal of the century" (an agreement to resolve the conflict between Israel and Palestine. - Ed.) and also a close ally of the crown prince - may eventually convince him to support this plan.
According to diplomats, how the Prince aligns Saudi priorities with this changing diplomatic landscape will be crucial, determining both his leadership and the future of the peace process.
what hinders the agreement
The current US administration does not lose hope of concluding a security agreement before Biden leaves office in January, but a number of obstacles remain on this path. One person in Washington familiar with the negotiations said there was reason to be skeptical about whether there was enough time to make a deal.
According to the source, US officials are aware that the kingdom is still interested in formally securing the guarantees it sought, especially to gain access to more modern weapons, but are not sure if it would prefer to do so for Biden or wait for Trump.
We continue to discuss and have many directions on the table (with the Saudis),
The White House National Security Council declined to comment when asked about efforts to reach an agreement on US security guarantees for Saudi Arabia.
Netanyahu's office also declined to comment on Riyadh's position on Palestinian statehood.
A defense treaty giving Saudi Arabia U.S. military protection in exchange for Israel's recognition would change the Middle East, uniting two long-time enemies and linking Riyadh to Washington at a time when China is gaining influence in the region.
This would allow the kingdom to strengthen its security and deflect threats from Iran and its Houthi allies to avoid a repeat of the 2019 strikes on its oil facilities that Riyadh and Washington blamed on Tehran. Iran denies any role of its own.
Індія та Саудівська Аравія стали найбільшими покупцями мазуту та газойлю рф у жовтні12.11.24, 00:34
A senior Saudi official said the treaty was 95% ready, but Riyadh decided to discuss an alternative deal, because this is impossible without normalizing relations with Israel.
Two sources of the agency noted that depending on the format, a truncated cooperation agreement can be approved without passing through Congress before Biden leaves office.
There were other stumbling blocks in the negotiations on the conclusion of a mutual defense treaty. For example, there was no progress in negotiations on civil nuclear cooperation, as Saudi Arabia refused to sign the so-called "Agreement 123" with the United States, which would deprive Riyadh of the right to nuclear enrichment, six sources said.
Saudi Arabia's objections to human rights-related articles have proved to be another area of contention, one Saudi source close to the talks told Reuters.