It may not be possible for Israel to establish relations with Saudi Arabia in light of the violence in Judea and Samaria, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the Council of Foreign Relations on Wednesday.
Blinken said that “both Saudi Arabia and Israel are interested in the prospect of normalization” and are looking for the US “to play a role in that particular effort and we’re very much engaging in it.”
The effort is “incredibly challenging, hard, not something that can happen overnight,” he added,” but it is also a real prospect.”
However, Blinken said, “we’ve told our friends and allies in Israel that if there’s a fire burning in their backyard it’s going to be a lot tougher, if not impossible, to both deepen the existing agreements as well as to expand them to include, potentially, Saudi Arabia.”
A Palestinian throws a stone during clashes with Israeli troops after Israeli settlers attack Umm Safa village near Ramallah, in the West Bank, June 24, 2023 (credit: REUTERS/MOHAMAD TOROKMAN)The secretary of state said that it is “profoundly not in Israel’s interest” for the violence to continue, because it means Jerusalem cannot allocate as many resources to other security challenges, such as Gaza, Lebanon or Iran.
Blinken added that the Biden administration remains committed to a two-state solution.
The Saudis have made clear in recent years that normalization with Israel will only be possible with some kind of concession to the Palestinians, such as when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to halt his plans to annex settlements in exchange for diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates.
Deadly Palestinian terrorist attacks and IDF response
The secretary of state’s remarks came amid a wave of deadly Palestinian terrorist attacks, as well as IDF action to try to stop them. Over the weekend, Jewish extremists attacked Palestinian villages in apparent revenge for the terrorism.
Blinken said that he relayed the message to Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen during their call on Tuesday, and to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a number of occasions.
Netanyahu got the message, according to Channel 12, which quoted him as saying in a recent meeting with cabinet ministers that “settler violence hurts Israel’s foreign relations and relations with the US.”
An Israeli diplomatic source said on Tuesday that Blinken told Cohen that Israel must do more to counter violence by Israelis against Palestinians.
Blinken said the US appreciates messages from Cohen, Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant against the violent incidents that took place over the weekend, but that more action must be taken.
Cohen said that the government of Israel “fully condemns events in which citizens take the law into their own hands.”
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