Skip to main content

No peace, no pact

Lindsey Graham: U.S.-Saudi pact must include Israeli normalization or it’s a no-go

The Republican senator warned that any Trump-era agreement with Riyadh will be a non-starter in Congress if it excludes formal steps toward normalization with Israel.

Lindsey Graham background
Photo: mark reinstein Shutterstock

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) issued a stark warning last night (Thursday) in response to reports that the Trump administration may drop the requirement for Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with Israel as part of a broader security and nuclear agreement.

“I have been working on and supportive of normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel for years,” Graham wrote on X. “This historic agreement would effectively end the Arab-Israeli conflict and allow the region to march toward the light and away from darkness, building on the historic Abraham Accords.”

The senator added emphatically, “However, I would like to make it crystal clear that I will never support a defense agreement with Saudi Arabia or other elements of a proposed deal that does not include normalizing the relationship with Israel as a part of the package. Normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel is an essential element.”

Subscribe to our newsletter

Graham’s comments came in response to a Reuters report that the United States is reconsidering its position on linking civil nuclear cooperation with Riyadh to diplomatic normalization with Jerusalem. The shift reportedly comes as former President Donald Trump prepares for a diplomatic visit to Saudi Arabia.

Initially, U.S.-Saudi nuclear talks were part of a broader effort to secure a trilateral agreement that included a mutual defense pact and the normalization of Israeli-Saudi relations. However, Saudi Arabia has held firm in its insistence that it will not formalize ties with Israel without meaningful progress toward the establishment of a Palestinian state, a position that has gained greater political weight amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

Meanwhile, negotiations on civil nuclear cooperation remain at an impasse. A key sticking point is Saudi Arabia’s resistance to the nonproliferation terms outlined in Section 123 of the U.S. Atomic Energy Act, which restricts uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing, both considered potential paths to nuclear weapons development.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Join our newsletter to receive updates on new articles and exclusive content.

We respect your privacy and will never share your information.

Stay Connected With Us

Follow our social channels for breaking news, exclusive content, and real-time updates.

WhatsApp Updates

Join our news group

Follow on X (Twitter)

@JFeedIsraelNews

Follow on Instagram

@jfeednews

Never miss a story - follow us on your preferred platform!

0

Loading comments...