The senior advisers to US President Joe Biden secretly visited Saudi Arabia last week to continue discussions on a potential package deal that may include a peace agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel, according to a statement from two sources that spoke with Walla.
Why is this important?
This visit is significant because the White House is in the midst of a wide-ranging diplomatic effort to secure a package deal with Saudi Arabia and Israel in the coming months before the 2024 election campaign completely consumes Biden's agenda.
Behind the scenes:
National Security Council Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, Brett McGurk, and Special Presidential Coordinator for Global Infrastructure and Energy Security Amos Hochstein conducted a discreet visit to Saudi Arabia last Thursday, according to sources with knowledge on the matter.
The White House did not disclose the visit and kept it confidential. Meanwhile, sources indicated that McGurk and Hochstein met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other Saudi officials to discuss various components of the deal.
What is going on with Saudi normalization now?
The White House is conducting negotiations with Saudi Arabia on a potential defense agreement between the US and Saudi Arabia, on a civil nuclear program in Saudi Arabia, and approvals for new arms sales to the kingdom.
Biden's advisers are also holding discussions with Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority about a possible peace agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel, which could include Israeli concessions for the Palestinians in the West Bank.
Israeli officials have recently claimed that the Saudis are not interested in the Palestinian component of the deal. They pointed to an interview with the Saudi crown prince on Fox News, where he did not mention a Palestinian state and focused solely on improving the lives of Palestinians.
A source familiar with the American-Saudi contacts noted that the crown prince's interview represented the opposite view, emphasizing that the Saudis want to see Israeli concessions for the Palestinians.
A spokesperson for the White House's National Security Council said to Walla: "Brett McGurk is stationed in the Middle East to reduce tensions in the region, stabilize it, and promote global cooperation. Amos Hochstein regularly visits capital cities around the world to advance the President's policy of building a global partnership infrastructure. There have been no recent additional visits."