Semafor Signals
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Saudi Arabia and Israel inch closer to establishing a historic peace deal
The News
At the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told U.S. President Joe Biden that “historic peace” between Israel and Saudi Arabia could be achieved.
“I think such a peace would go a long way first to advance the end of the Arab-Israeli conflict, achieve reconciliation between the Islamic world and the Jewish state, and advance a genuine peace between Israel and the Palestinians,” Netanyahu said to Biden. “This is something within our reach.”
SIGNALS
The U.S. is in talks with Riyadh about a mutual defense treaty that would provide each country with military support if the other is attacked in the region or on Saudi territory, the New York Times reported• 1 . Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said that the agreement is a crucial part of his talks with the U.S. regarding Israel — as such a deal would help Riyadh defend itself against possible attacks from Iran. Saudi Arabia is also asking the U.S. to help develop a civilian nuclear program which has received more pushback.
The New York Times, Biden Aides and Saudis Explore Defense Treaty Modeled After Asian Pacts
Washington’s involvement in brokering an agreement between the Israelis and Saudis could restore the country’s power and prestige through the Middle East, Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer told Semafor’s Ben Smith on Wednesday. The deal, he said, could be a “reverse 9/11”• 2 — which, in the aftermath, saw two decades of tension and conflict between the U.S. and the Arab world. Such a deal has “strategic value” for all the countries involved, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf said at Al-Monitor and Semafor’s Middle East Global Summit Wednesday, though she did not go into specifics.
Cozier ties between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia could face resistance from the U.S. Congress, which has remained critical of the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi• 3 , as well as Riyadh’s intervention in Yemen. When asked about Khashoggi’s murder, the Saudi crown prince said that the kingdom’s security system was undergoing reform to ensure that such a “mistake” does not happen again, Reuters reported.
