Israel and the United States on Monday rejected reports that Riyadh had frozen normalization negotiations.
A senior U. S. official called the data published Saturday through the online newspaper Elaph false, echoing earlier statements made by an aide to Benjamin Netanyahu aboard a plane that flew the Israeli prime minister to the United States to meet in California and New York, adding that with President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly general debate on Wednesday.
The U. S. State Department’s Middle East Office said Monday that “talks are ongoing. “
“The United States remains committed to selling Israel’s regional integration, adding active international relations aimed at Israeli-Saudi normalization,” the State Department wrote on X (formerly Twitter), adding that Foggy Bottom looks forward to “continuing talks with both sides. “
– U. S. Department of State – Near Eastern Affairs (@StateDept_NEA) September 18, 2023
According to the London-based Arabic-language media outlet owned by Saudi businessman Othman al-Omeir, who is believed to be close to Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, an official in Netanyahu’s government said Riyadh had asked the Americans to suspend any negotiations on normalization with Israel following his radical government’s refusal to make any gesture toward the Palestinian Authority (PA).
A Palestinian Authority source told Israel’s Channel Thirteen that the Saudis are not satisfied with the media politics of the talks and are trying to stall negotiations on a possible accession to the Abraham Accords, saying the negotiations are “progressing too fast. “
The Arab source said the Saudis asked the Americans for explanations on what measures the Israeli government would be willing to take in favor of the Arabs in the Palestinian Authority.
On Friday, the White House showed the meeting between Biden and Netanyahu, and U. S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the two leaders would “discuss a diversity of bilateral and regional issues centered on shared democratic values between the United States and Israel and a vision for the future. ” a more stable, immensely wealthy and incorporated region, and compare notes on how to counter and deter Iran well.
Sullivan said Sept. 8 that “many elements of a path toward normalization are now on the table” in connection with a U. S. -brokered agreement between Jerusalem and Riyadh.
“We don’t have a frame for the paintings and we don’t have the terms in a position to be signed, there are still paintings to be done,” Sullivan told reporters, adding that there is a “broad understanding of many key elements. “
Last month, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said the “Palestinian” factor would be an impediment to normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia.
“The current Israeli government will take measures for the Palestinian economy,” Cohen said in an interview with Elaph, amid reports that one of Riyadh’s demands for a US-brokered deal to sign the Abraham Accords would involve concessions to the Palestinians.
Israel notes that the Saudis likely said they had suspended negotiations to spare themselves complaints from other Arab countries that have yet to make peace with Israel at the UN General Assembly this week.
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