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
The administration of Donald Trump has informed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that it remains committed to securing the return of the final deceased Israeli hostage and to disarming Hamas, but will not make either a precondition for launching phase two of its Gaza peace plan, according to a Times of Israel exclusive.
Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a sweeping presidential memorandum directing the United States to withdraw from 66 international organizations, including 31 entities tied to the United Nations, in a major escalation of his “America First” agenda.
Fire safety inspections had not been carried out for several years at the Swiss mountain bar where a New Year’s party blaze killed 40 people and injured at least 116 others, local authorities confirmed Wednesday, as investigators widened a criminal probe into the tragedy.
The United States on Wednesday signaled to Russia and other powers that it intends to assert control over Venezuela and its oil sector by seizing two sanctioned tankers and unveiling a plan to channel Venezuelan crude sales through U.S.-approved mechanisms.
Russia and the United States edged closer to confrontation after U.S. forces seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic, prompting sharp protests from Moscow and assertive statements from senior U.S. officials.
Questions have been raised about Italian security arrangements after pro-Palestinian protesters physically blocked passengers from boarding a flight to Tel Aviv at Milan’s main airport, forming a human barrier at the gate and delaying the departure for more than two hours.
New Year celebrations for Pakistan’s Christian minority have been overshadowed by the killing of a Christian father of three, the vandalism of a church, and renewed fears that strict Islamic blasphemy laws could fuel further violence against religious minorities.