(JNS) Despite its best efforts, Washington believes that the chances of an Israel-Saudi normalization agreement are less than 50 per cent, according to senior U.S. administration officials cited by The New York Times.
Last week, White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk led an unpublicised delegation to Saudi Arabia.
The trip came days after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the kingdom, and then briefed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the Saudi demands during a 40-minute phone call.
These demands reportedly include U.S. assistance with Riyadh’s civilian nuclear program, and security guarantees. White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan visited Saudi Arabia on May 7.
