US Rushing To Normalize Israel-Saudi Relations (Worthy News Focus)
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
WASHINGTON/RIYADH (Worthy News) – The administration of outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden still believes it can broker a normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia before the November U.S. presidential election.
Despite the Israel-Hamas war waging in Gaza, “President Biden absolutely believes normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia is possible. And he believes that it’s certainly possible to get it done before the end of his time as president,” said National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby in an interview with The Times of Israel (TOI) online newspaper.
“He recognizes that there’s a lot of spade work that needs to be done before you can get there, [but] that’s why we’re in Doha right now trying to get this ceasefire in place so that we can start to make some progress on larger regional issues,” Kirby was quoted as saying.
The deal would resemble the Abraham Accords, which impacted diplomatic relations, trade, and security and were inked under previous President Donald J. Trump.
The bilateral agreements on Arab–Israeli normalization were signed on September 15, 2020, between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and between Israel and Bahrain.
Kirby’s announcement came despite American and Israeli officials familiar with the talks saying last month that “Normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel is no longer a realistic possibility until after the U.S. presidential elections in November.”
It was not immediately clear what had changed the White House’s tone to one of optimism.
SEEKING ALLIES
However, it comes while both the U.S. and Israel seek allies to prevent an all-out war in the region, according to a Worthy News assessment.
With Israel’s war against Hamas ongoing in Gaza, there is mounting concern that Lebanon-based Hezbollah will further escalate the armed conflict, backed by Iran.
Israel’s military says it is ready to fight a war on two fronts, but experts caution that Hezbollah is a far more formidable force than Hamas.
It’s estimated the Iran-backed group has around 150,000 rockets, some capable of reaching targets across Israel.
Hezbollah fighters, some of whom have fought in the war in Syria, are well-trained and better equipped than those of Hamas, according to experts familiar with the situation.
Yet there were no signs that Saudi Arabia would assist Israel in preventing or holding off such attacks as Riyadh criticized Israel over its crackdown on Hamas and statements over Jerusalem.
Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Media Salman Al-Dossary told media that the Cabinet confirmed “its absolute rejection of extremist and incendiary Israeli statements and the continuous provocations of the feelings of Muslims around the world.”
BUILDING SYNAGOGUE
His remarks came after Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir told Army Radio that if it were possible, he would build a synagogue at the Al-Aqsa compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount.
Muslims see the Al-Aqsa compound in Jerusalem as Islam’s “third holiest site” and a symbol of Palestinian national identity.
However, in Judaism, it is revered as the site of the second temple, which was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.
“If I could do anything I wanted, I would put an Israeli flag on the site,” Ben Gvir said in the interview. He also defended his decision to pray at the site despite a long-standing government ban on Jews to pray there.
The policy at the Temple Mount allows praying there. Period,” Ben-Gvir said.
He added: “The prime minister knew when I joined the government, there would not be any discrimination. Muslims are allowed to pray, and a Jew is not allowed to pray?”
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