By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
RIYADH/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Saudi Arabia has softened its position on Palestinian statehood, telling Washington that “a public commitment” from Israel to a two-state solution “could be enough” for the Gulf kingdom to normalize relations with the Jewish nation, according to Saudi and Western officials.
In remarks Friday, the officials also announced that Riyadh abandoned its pursuit of an “ambitious defense treaty” with Washington and sought “a more modest military cooperation agreement” in return for regular ties with Israel.
According to Western diplomats familiar with his thinking, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu views normalization with Saudi Arabia as a historical milestone and a sign of broader acceptance in the Arab world.
But he faces opposition at home to any concessions to Palestinians in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks that killed some 1,200 people.
And with public anger in Saudi Arabia and the broader Middle East mounting over Israel’s strikes against Hamas in Gaza, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has again made recognition of Israel conditional on it taking concrete steps to create a Palestinian state.
Yet, with U.S. President-elect Donald J. Trump soon becoming dealmaker-in-chief, Riyadh and Washington hope a more modest defense pact could be sealed before Joe Biden leaves the White House on January 20.
A full-blown U.S.-Saudi treaty would need to pass the U.S. Senate with a two-thirds majority, and this would be a non-starter unless Riyadh recognizes Israel, several sources said.
However, Trump has made it clear that he wants to extend the Abraham Accords, which already include agreements on Arab–Israeli normalization between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and between Israel and Bahrain, on September 15, 2020.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
Kuwait said Tuesday that Iranian forces had again struck power-generation and water-desalination facilities, marking the fourth consecutive day of attacks on infrastructure essential to the Gulf nation’s survival.
Israeli intelligence believes Iran transferred thousands of uranium-enrichment centrifuges into a fortified tunnel complex deep beneath a mountain near the Natanz nuclear installation, according to an exclusive report by The Wall Street Journal.
Hungarian chess grandmaster Judit Polgár on Monday declined Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s invitation to become Hungary’s next president, saying she did not feel able to shoulder the “historic responsibility” of uniting a divided nation.
President Donald Trump is urging House Republicans to unite behind a new budget resolution designed to advance major provisions of the SAVE America Act through the reconciliation process.
President Donald Trump has ordered a 50% tariff on nearly $20 billion worth of Canadian imports, escalating economic pressure on Ottawa over what his administration described as discriminatory treatment of American products.
The U.S. House of Representatives has approved legislation that could suspend American assistance to Nigeria unless its government takes measurable steps to protect Christians and prosecute those responsible for religiously motivated violence.
The Lebanese Armed Forces began operations Monday to assume security responsibility in three southern villages, marking the first on-the-ground test of a U.S.-brokered framework aimed at securing an eventual Israeli withdrawal and dismantling Hezbollah’s military presence in the region.