The Washington Post: The efforts of the Biden administration to reach an agreement with Saudi Arabia will remain fruitless
Eviralnews, quoted by ISNA, the Biden government is trying to make some agreements with Saudi Arabia, which according to American officials, is a step forward for a tripartite agreement between them and the Israel regime. This agreement contains huge benefits for Saudi Arabia and new risky obligations for the US. But it is unlikely that the Israel regime will agree to Saudi Arabia's conditions for the normalization of relations. Therefore, any deal the Biden administration makes with Riyadh will likely never materialize.
In this note, published in the American newspaper Washington Post, it is stated with the following introduction: “Anthony Blinken”, the Secretary of State of the United States, confirmed the rumors about the security agreements between the United States and Saudi Arabia in a hearing in the Congress. Blinken told the House Appropriations Committee that the agreements are “very close to being finalized.” Apparently, these agreements commit the US to help Saudi Arabia defend itself in case of an attack, provide Riyadh with more advanced American weapons, and according to it, the US is supposed to help Saudi Arabia design a nuclear program. In return, Saudi Arabia will also agree to normalize relations with Israel.
Blinken further said that Saudi Arabia is not willing to implement its obligations in these agreements as long as the Israel regime does not fulfill its demands. He stated, “Saudi Arabia has clearly said that even though the agreements between us are completed, they must first see two things come to fruition; They should witness the establishment of peace in Gaza and have a practical way to establish a Palestinian state.”
Considering that Gaza is in a state of war and the disaster seems to be permanent in general, this issue can slow down the process. It should also be said about “a practical way to establish a Palestinian state” that Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of the Israel regime, is openly against it. Many residents of the occupied lands are also against this plan.
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan welcomed US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on February 5, 2024 in Riyadh.
In his hearing in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in response to the question of Senator Chris Murphy, “Why are you in a hurry about this”, the US Secretary of State answered that the government wants to finalize the Saudi Arabia part of the agreement now to send it to the cabinet. The present or the future of the Israel regime will pressurize to implement a plan for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Blinken said: Israel must decide if it wants to move forward and take the opportunity to achieve what it has sought since its founding, which is the normalization of relations with the countries of the region.
This note continues: Murphy said in an interview about this that he does not think it is a good idea to just go ahead with the agreement with Saudi Arabia. Because, “Mohammed bin Salman”, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, is not a reliable security partner for America.
Murphy went on to say: “Regardless of what the terms of the agreement are, there is still a perception that you can't believe what Mohammed bin Salman says.”
The American senator also said: until Riyadh normalizes relations with Tel Aviv, it is impossible for Congress to “give our most sacred commitment in national security to a repressive and authoritarian regime” and without the consent of the Senate, these agreements will not be implemented.
Biden has been trying to get closer to bin Salman since abandoning a 2020 campaign promise in which he called the Saudi crown prince an outcast. But Saudi observers say that his government has private motives for rushing to make these agreements with Saudi Arabia; King Salman, the Saudi king and father of bin Salman, is 88 years old and sick. Therefore, warming up relations with his successor seems pragmatic.
The Foreign Minister of Bahrain, the Prime Minister of the Israel regime, the President of the United States and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, Ibrahim Agreement, September 15, 2020, White House
On the other hand, electoral politics may also be involved. “The administration wants to find a reasonable justification for both its strategy in Gaza and for the broader regional approach,” says Simon Henderson of the Persian Gulf and Energy Department of the Washington Think Tank.
The Washington Post wrote: By finalizing these agreements knowing that they will not reach the desired result, the US government is giving up its only lever of pressure against Riyadh to address other US concerns. That's a steep price to pay for a PR move, especially since the Saudis know they don't have to live up to their commitments in the deal. Still, Blinken is an unwavering supporter of the plan, noting that Biden plans to implement those agreements either way.
According to this newspaper, the administration of “Donald Trump” managed to complete the agreement on the normalization of Arab countries' relations with the Israel regime (Ibrahim Agreement), because all parties ignored the issue of the establishment of a Palestinian state. Since the “Al-Aqsa storm” operation by the Hamas group against the Israel regime on October 7 and the start of the Gaza war, this is not possible, and therefore, the conditions for normalizing relations with more countries are not available: “Pretending otherwise for Bin Salman, who got the deal of the century “It is possible, it makes sense, but not for the interests of America.”
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