Blinken admits: Israel may not be willing or able to move on a Saudi deal

The Israeli government might not be in the position to proceed with Saudi normalization given that such a deal requires a pathway to Palestinian statehood, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

“The Saudis have been very clear that [normalization] would require calm in Gaza, and it would require a credible pathway to a Palestinian state,” Blinken said.

“It may well be... that at this moment, Israel is not able or willing to proceed down that pathway,” he explained.

Blinken spoke just one day after US National Security Advisor Jack Sullivan visited Israel and Saudi Arabia in an effort to advance the triad deal.

It involves a security pact between Riyadh and Washington, a normalization deal with Israel and Saudi Arabia, and a pathway for Palestinian statehood. READ MORE