Saudi Arabia Determined to Secure US Defense Pact in Exchange for Normalization with Israel
"Many of the key elements of a pathway towards normalization are now on the table and there is a broad understanding of those elements, which we will not discuss publicly," said the US State Department
Mohammed bin Salman, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, June 7, 2023. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS
Saudi Arabia is determined to secure a military agreement with the United States, which will require the U.S. to defend the kingdom in exchange for forging ties with Israel. Saudi Arabia will not abandon this agreement even if Israel does not offer concessions to the Palestinians seeking statehood, as several sources told Reuters over the weekend.
According to their accounts, such an agreement between Saudi Arabia and the United States is almost like security guarantees in a NATO-style format, as Saudi Arabia has demanded since the beginning of discussions, between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and President Biden during his visit to Riyadh in July 2022.
Another option is an agreement similar to those Washington has with Asian countries, or a deal like the one the U.S. has with Bahrain, where the U.S. Fifth Fleet is stationed. Such an agreement does not require Congressional approval. Another option: the U.S. declares Saudi Arabia as a non-NATO ally, a status held by Israel.
However, all the sources of Reuters' report emphasize that Saudi Arabia will not agree to anything less than a significant U.S. commitment to defend the kingdom if it faces an attack like the September 2019 attacks on its oil facilities that rattled the global market.
The Palestinians will receive certain concessions from Israel, but those who do not reach statehood will not receive a Palestinian state. The sources said that normalization will happen between Israel and Saudi Arabia. If the Palestinians oppose this, the government will continue in this direction. Saudi Arabia supports a peace plan for the Palestinians, but this time Saudi Arabia "wants something for itself, not just for the Palestinians."
The government in Riyadh did not respond to Reuters' report. But American government officials said that the principles of the agreement between Saudi Arabia and the United States are now under discussion, and they speak not of a full-fledged defense agreement, but of mutual security understandings, less than a full defense pact. It would be similar to the U.S. relationship with Israel, where Israel receives the most advanced American weaponry and conducts joint air force and missile exercises.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) did ask Biden for a NATO-style agreement, but Washington refused to commit to an agreement similar to NATO Article 5, which speaks of an attack against a member being considered an attack against all members of the alliance.
A spokesperson for the State Department responded to the reports, saying, " "Many of the key elements of a pathway towards normalization are now on the table and there is a broad understanding of those elements, which we will not discuss publicly. There's still lots of work to do, and we're working through it," the spokesperson added, saying there was not yet a formal framework and stakeholders were working on legal and other elements.”
"Many of the key elements of a pathway towards normalization are now on the table and there is a broad understanding of those elements, which we will not discuss publicly," said the US State Department
Mohammed bin Salman, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, June 7, 2023. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS
Saudi Arabia is determined to secure a military agreement with the United States, which will require the U.S. to defend the kingdom in exchange for forging ties with Israel. Saudi Arabia will not abandon this agreement even if Israel does not offer concessions to the Palestinians seeking statehood, as several sources told Reuters over the weekend.
According to their accounts, such an agreement between Saudi Arabia and the United States is almost like security guarantees in a NATO-style format, as Saudi Arabia has demanded since the beginning of discussions, between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and President Biden during his visit to Riyadh in July 2022.
Another option is an agreement similar to those Washington has with Asian countries, or a deal like the one the U.S. has with Bahrain, where the U.S. Fifth Fleet is stationed. Such an agreement does not require Congressional approval. Another option: the U.S. declares Saudi Arabia as a non-NATO ally, a status held by Israel.
However, all the sources of Reuters' report emphasize that Saudi Arabia will not agree to anything less than a significant U.S. commitment to defend the kingdom if it faces an attack like the September 2019 attacks on its oil facilities that rattled the global market.
The Palestinians will receive certain concessions from Israel, but those who do not reach statehood will not receive a Palestinian state. The sources said that normalization will happen between Israel and Saudi Arabia. If the Palestinians oppose this, the government will continue in this direction. Saudi Arabia supports a peace plan for the Palestinians, but this time Saudi Arabia "wants something for itself, not just for the Palestinians."
The government in Riyadh did not respond to Reuters' report. But American government officials said that the principles of the agreement between Saudi Arabia and the United States are now under discussion, and they speak not of a full-fledged defense agreement, but of mutual security understandings, less than a full defense pact. It would be similar to the U.S. relationship with Israel, where Israel receives the most advanced American weaponry and conducts joint air force and missile exercises.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) did ask Biden for a NATO-style agreement, but Washington refused to commit to an agreement similar to NATO Article 5, which speaks of an attack against a member being considered an attack against all members of the alliance.
A spokesperson for the State Department responded to the reports, saying, " "Many of the key elements of a pathway towards normalization are now on the table and there is a broad understanding of those elements, which we will not discuss publicly. There's still lots of work to do, and we're working through it," the spokesperson added, saying there was not yet a formal framework and stakeholders were working on legal and other elements.”
