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Blinken says Saudi-Israeli deal ‘much closer’ in final speech

Antony Blinken Saudi Israel Reuters/Mark Schiefelbein
So long and farewell: Antony Blinken, in his last speech as US secretary of state, said normalisation between Saudi Arabia and Israel was 'ready to go'
  • Normalisation ‘within reach’
  • ‘Heavy lifting is complete’
  • Future of Gaza is main block

The long sought-after normalisation of bilateral relationships between Saudi Arabia and Israel remains within reach and is the best path toward a stable Middle East, Antony Blinken said yesterday in his final speech as US secretary of state.

“Much of the heavy lifting for normalisation is complete, including negotiations on complex US-Saudi elements of an agreement,” Blinken said before the Atlantic Council in Washington.

A three-way deal would make Saudi Arabia a “treaty ally” of the US, deepen military coordination and integration between the two nations, open up cooperation on civil nuclear cooperation and foster more bilateral trade and investment, Blinken said.

Answering a question from the president and CEO of the Atlantic Council, Frederick Kempe, Blinken said he believed a deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia was much closer.

“What we’ve done over the past four years, building on the Abraham Accords, was to try to get to their ultimate realisation, which is normalisation between Saudi Arabia and Israel. And as we sit here, it’s ready to go,” Blinken said.

As he prepared to step down as the US’s top diplomat, Blinken defended the Biden administration’s record in the Middle East. 

He acknowledged the human toll of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and admitted that the future of the strip of land remains the main block to greater regional integration.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has said since the war broke out that any deal with Israel will depend on the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

Negotiations over a possible ceasefire between the warring parties and the release of Israeli hostages are going on in Doha. A spokesman for the Qatari foreign minister described the talks on Tuesday as at their closest point in a long time and as entering the final stages.

In Washington, Blinken said he believed that an agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel was “right on the brink, it’s closer than it’s ever been before” and that “we will get a ceasefire” in the coming days or weeks.

The ball will soon be in the new Trump administration’s court after the presidential inauguration on Monday, January 20. 

The president-elect and his advisers have hinted at the normalisation of Saudi Arabia-Israel relationships as a top priority for the region. Trump has also vouched unconditional support for Israel.  

The confirmation hearing of Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, the Florida senator Marco Rubio, was being held before the US Senate today.