Saudi Arabia is still open to a normalization deal with Israel despite the Gaza War, US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters in Washington on Tuesday.
“We are still committed to it. It’s clear to us that the Saudis are still committed to it, but obviously we are all focused on what is going on there in Gaza,” Kirby said.
Saudi defense minister, US national security advisor discuss Israeli-Palestinian peace
He spoke after US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Monday met with Saudi Arabian Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud.
“We came away from those discussions confident that there will be a path to get back towards to normalization,” Kirby said.
“There is still interest in the Saudi side in pursuing that,” he said.
“What is going on between Israel and Hamas makes it harder to make practical progress on it right now,” Kirby said.
Before the Gaza War, which began on October 7, the Biden administration had pursued a complex regional deal that involved a security pact between Washington and Riyad, which would also include a normalization deal with Israel and a possible interim agreement with the Palestinians.
A key component of that deal for Riyadh was the protection the US would provide to Saudi Arabia against any attack by Iran.
During Sullivan’s meeting with the Saudi defense minister on Monday, the two men affirmed the importance of deterring any state or non-state actor from seeking to expand the conflict, according to the White House.
The two men also “emphasized the importance of working toward a sustainable peace between Israelis and Palestinians, building on the work that was already underway between Saudi Arabia and the United States over recent months,” the White House stated.