Report: US negotiating deal among Saudis, Israelis and Egyptians

The Biden administration has been quietly mediating among Saudi Arabia, Israel and Egypt on negotiations that, if successful, could be a first step on the road to the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, Axios’ Barak Ravid reported Monday, citing five US and Israeli sources.

The talks involve finalizing the transfer of two strategic islands in the Red Sea from Egyptian to Saudi sovereignty, the sources said.

If an arrangement is reached, it would be a significant foreign policy achievement for the Biden administration in the Middle East.

The US and Israeli sources told Ravid the agreement is not complete and the sensitive negotiations are ongoing. The White House wants an agreement to be reached before President Joe Biden's upcoming trip to the Middle East at the end of June, which could include a stop in Saudi Arabia, according to the sources.

The islands in question are Tiran and Sanafir, which control the Straits of Tiran, a strategic sea passage to the ports of Aqaba in Jordan and Eilat in Israel. Saudi and Egyptian officials say Saudi Arabia gave Egypt control of the islands in 1950. They were later demilitarized as part of the 1979 Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty. READ MORE