Why is the US at the center of Israeli-Saudi peace?By Lahav Harkov
August 19, 2023
It’s been three years since the signing of the Abraham Accords — the groundbreaking peace agreement that established diplomatic ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco.
Since then, all eyes have been on the richest prize of all — extending the accords to include Saudi Arabia.
Now, this “crown jewel,” as Israeli officials describe it, appears to be gaining momentum in the form of a trilateral agreement that includes the United States.
The deal taking shape offers a lot: A boost to Middle East stability, pushback against the Iranian nuclear threat and increased economic cooperation.
Such an agreement would reduce the need for US involvement in the region, while potentially transforming the entire Middle East. And media on both the right and left are buzzing all about it.
But rather than treating Israel-Saudi normalization like the momentous achievement it could be, President Biden appears to be using it as a tool for political expediency as the 2024 presidential election heats up.
Indeed, Biden’s action in the Middle East over the past few weeks suggests that rather than focusing on lasting diplomacy, he’s merely trying to buy quiet from the region until November 2024.Case in point, Iran. Secretary of State Antony Blinken often talks about a renewed nuclear deal to “put Iran in the box.”
Instead, the US appears to be getting a water-down agreement with the Iranians to pause its uranium enrichment program in exchange for sanctions relief. The “mini-agreement,” as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it, was negotiated informally in order to avoid further escalating US-Iranian tension.
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Source:
https://nypost.com/2023/08/19/the-us-is-at-the-center-of-the-saudi-israel-peace-deal/
