The US and Saudi Arabia have agreed on the broad contours of a deal for Saudi Arabia to recognise Israel in exchange for concessions to the Palestinians, US security guarantees and civilian nuclear help, according to US officials.
US officials expressed cautious optimism that, in the next nine to 12 months, they can hammer out the finer details of what would be the most momentous Middle East peace deal in a generation. But they warned that they face long odds.
The stepped-up efforts come after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met in Jeddah two weeks ago with Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, in a bid to accelerate talks. Negotiators now have moved to discussing specifics, including addressing Saudi requests that the US help them develop a civilian nuclear program and offer iron clad security guarantees.
“There’s a work plan to explore the elements of what this would be and test the boundaries of what’s possible,” said one senior US official.
Read the article by Dion Nissenbaum in The Australian (from The Wall Street Journal).