After the UAE-Israel Move, Breakthrough Israel-Saudi Normalization Talks Bruited

A “significant” breakthrough has been made in negotiations to normalize ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Yisrael Hayom reported Sunday.

While the report did not disclose what the breakthrough consisted of, it noted that King Salman still opposes the move, which is why a historic breakthrough is not expected in the near future.

But during the American delegation’s visit at Riyadh last week, headed by special White House advisor Jared Kushner, a proposal for a triangle accord between Israel, Saudi and the U.S. was suggested, similar in fashion to the recent Kosovo-Israel announcement.

The move is still considered very sensitive and there is no certainty that it will succeed, the report said.

In the U.S. administration, there are differences of opinion as to whether a peace agreement with Saudi Arabia is good for Israel at this time. Some senior government officials believe the historic move should be advanced and the parties brought to mutual recognition. Others believe that the people of Saudi Arabia are not ripe for peace with Israel, since unlike the Emirates, the kingdom is still closed to the Arab world and has anti-Israel views. According to these sources, an agreement with Saudi Arabia at this time will bring peace only at the level of leadership, such as the one that Israel has with Jordan and Egypt.