The Wall Street Journal newspaper, published in the United States, reports that the United States and Saudi Arabia have reached a preliminary agreement on a normalization agreement with Israel.
According to the report by journalist Dion Nissenbaum, the security agreement between the United States and the Arab Kingdom is conditioned on Israeli concessions towards the Palestinians. The extent of these concessions is not clear, whether they involve recognizing a Palestinian state or merely refraining from annexation and easing restrictions, as was the case with the Abraham Accords.
Saudi Arabia will receive security guarantees from the United States and American assistance for its civilian nuclear program. The Americans, in return, will align with Saudi Arabia on the Western side rather than the Russian and Chinese side. As part of the agreement, China will not be allowed to build military bases in the kingdom's territory or deploy internet and cellular infrastructure there.
However, the newspaper quotes American sources as saying that advisers to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have stated that he is not in a hurry to advance normalization of relations with Israel, given the presence of an extreme coalition opposing the establishment of a Palestinian state.
In any case, the window of opportunity to reach an agreement is within the next year, before the U.S. presidential elections in November 2024.
