- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Washington plans to prioritize the normalization of diplomatic ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia
- Blinken's remarks come amid his three-day visit to the kingdom to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
- Saudi Arabia's Prine Faisal bin Farhan, on the other hand, was working on gaining support from the US to generate nuclear power
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Washington would prioritize efforts to normalize ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia, considered the main Middle East allies of the United States.
The American official's remarks came amid his three-day visit to the kingdom to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. In his Thursday statement, Blinken declined to say whether or not the US plans to support Riyadh's nuclear ambitions in the future.
Normalization of Ties Between Israel and Saudi Arabia
During a joint news conference, Prince Faisal bin Farhan said that he hoped they would agree on US support of the kingdom's plans to generate nuclear power. However, neither of the two officials addressed whether this would be given in exchange for the normalization of ties with Israel, as per Reuters.
Blinken's visit to Saudi Arabia aims to address various recent issues, such as oil prices, human rights, and Riyadh's opening to Iran. He argued that the normalization of diplomatic ties between Israel and its neighbors is a priority of the US to pave the way for a more integrated Middle East.
In a statement, the US secretary said they discussed such topics during his visit to the kingdom. The situation comes as Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's two holiest shrines, has resisted US pressure to end generations-old non-recognition of Israel.
Speaking alongside Blinken, Prince Faisal agreed that the normalization of ties between the two nations has its benefits. However, he argued that these would be limited if officials did not create a pathway toward a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians.
Blinken also called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday so that he could brief him on his talks with Saudi Arabian officials. The latter is known to want to work with the Biden administration in making a peace agreement with the kingdom, according to Axios.
A More Integrated Middle East
Faisal's use of the word pathway when discussing the normalization of ties with Israel deviates from how previous Saudi Arabian officials discussed the issue. In the past, the kingdom has demanded establishing a Palestinian state as a condition for the potential normalization of ties.
Blinken's visit to the kingdom also comes more than half a year after United States President Joe Biden's administration reacted to a decision by OPEC+ to cut oil production. The US secretary of state said that Saudi Arabia knew the decision would only work to increase "Russian revenues."
Furthermore, the American official said Washington was already considering implementing "consequences" for the decision. However, CNN said the Biden administration did not negatively react to Saudi Arabia's announcement of another cut to oil production, which was made a few days before Blinken's visit.