A member of the royal Saudi family has told Kan11 Arab Affairs Correspondent Roi Kais that the assessment in Riyadh is that there is no realistic possibility of reaching normalization with Israel before the US presidential elections on November 5.
“This window of opportunity was shut,” the Saudi official said.
The Saudis estimate that by the time of the US elections, the war in Gaza will come to an end, one way or another, which would pave the way for normalization later on. According to the source, Riyadh still expects an Israeli commitment to a road map leading to a solution to the Palestinian issue.
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A senior Saudi official said in mid-August that despite his desire for a deal, Mohammed bin Salman, the heir apparent to the Saudi Arabian throne, believes that without a solution to the Palestinian issue, Saudi Arabia could not “enjoy” the economic, technological and military benefits the normalization of its relations with Israel is supposed to yield. Without a solution to the Palestinian issue – there will be no security in the region, the source insisted.
Bin Salman indicated to visiting members of Congress recently that he is putting his life at risk by even having contacts with the US and Israel, according to Kan11, citing a former American official, who is aware of the details of the talks, and two other sources.
Sources involved with the normalization process see the period between the November 5 elections and the January 20 inauguration of the new president as the window of opportunity. If Kamala Harris is elected, she would like to give Biden a “retirement gift” in the form of normalization; and if Donald Trump is elected, the Saudis might prefer to strike a security deal with the Democrats, because the terms would be less favorable for them in the coming Trump era.
