In a potentially historic shift, Saudi Arabia is planning to normalize relationships with longtime foe Israel but says that it must first repair relations with the United States and President Joe Biden, who has been critical of the Arab giant.
The officials told a delegation from the United States recently that it is ready to follow other Arab nations and establish ties to the Jewish state over growing concerns that both face threats from Iran and should join in an alliance against the terrorist country.
BIDEN IS COMING FOR YOUR GAS RANGE
Joel Rosenberg’s All Israel News broke the story this week, and he shared details with Secrets today from an interview he had with one of the U.S. delegation leaders, John Hannah, former Vice President Dick Cheney’s national security adviser.
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Saudi leaders tell Jewish group they’re ready to normalize with Israel, but first need to normalize with US @JoelCRosenberg https://t.co/0XXvu1SzkR
— All Israel News (@all_israel_news) January 10, 2023
“I came away with a stronger impression than I’ve ever had that … the top political and national security leadership in that country has made the decision that they are, in fact, prepared to make peace with Israel, to normalize relations,” Hannah told Rosenberg, who posted a story on his website.
“They told us we have the same threats as Israel, the same allies, and the same enemies — most importantly, specifically, the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he added.
But in joining other regional states in the Trump-era Abraham Accords and breaking the ice with Israel, Saudi Arabia said it first needs to focus on warming relations with Biden, who has assailed Saudi leadership and looked the other way when it is attacked.
“We came away with an almost unequivocal message that the problem from the Saudi perspective is not Israel,” Hannah told Rosenberg. “It’s not the Palestinian issue. It is their lack of faith in the current state of the strategic relationship bilaterally between the United States and Saudi Arabia,” said Hannah, who was joined by several former U.S. diplomats and military officials.
GET THE INSIDER SCOOP FIRST WITH WASHINGTON SECRETS
Rosenberg wrote, “For now, I want to underscore what a big story this is.”
In a follow-up story today, Rosenberg said that newly-elected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believes he can use his 40-year relationship with Biden to play “marriage counselor” between the president and Saudi officials.
