Washington reportedly discusses limited security agreement with Saudi Kingdom without Israel normalization

The Biden administration and Saudi Arabia are reportedly discussing the signing of a limited defense agreement that excludes normalization with Israel before President Joe Biden leaves office in January, the news outlet Axios reported on Monday.

While the potential agreement is less comprehensive than what the Saudi government seeks, it would be politically easier to implement as Saudi Arabia has officially conditioned normalized ties with Israel to the implementation of the currently infeasible two-state solution. 

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan revealed last week that the Saudi government considered moving “quite quickly” in establishing stronger bilateral ties with Washington even without a more comprehensive deal that includes normalization with Israel. Washington has so far unsuccessfully tried to broker a normalization agreement between the Saudis and the Israelis. 

Saudi Arabia and Israel do not have official diplomatic relations. However, in recent years the two countries have developed closer covert ties, which are based on mutual interests and the perception that the Iranian regime threatens Middle East stability with its terrorist proxies. Following the historic 2020 American-brokered Abraham Accords between Israel and four Arab states, Saudi Arabia opened up its airspace for Israeli commercial flights.

In September 2023, just weeks before the Hamas Oct. 7 invasion and massacre in southern Israeli communities, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) said that normalization with the Jewish state was getting “closer every day.” 

However, following the Hamas atrocities and the ongoing Gaza War, the Saudis informed the Biden administration that they would postpone any potential normalization with Israel. 

In January, the Saudi Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud told the BBC that his country was still interested in eventually normalizing its relations with Israel.

“Absolutely, there’s interest, there’s been interest since 1982 and before,” Al Saud stated. However, he reiterated Saudi Arabia’s demand for the establishment of a Palestinian Arab state.

“We’ve been at this for a long time, and willing to accept Israel for a long time; it’s a reality that we have to live with. But we can’t live with Israel without a Palestinian state,” the Saudi ambassador added.

On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed support for expanding the Abraham Accords at the conclusion of the war with Iran and its regional proxies.

“I aspire to continue the process I went through a few years ago, with the signing of the historic Abraham Accords, in order to achieve peace with other Arab countries,” Netanyahu stated. “I emphasize peace for peace, peace out of strength with important countries in the Middle East.”

Netanyahu argued that the Sunni Arab world is tacitly supporting Israel’s war against the Iranian regime, Hamas and Hezbollah. 

“These countries and other countries see very well the blows we inflict on those who attack us, the Iranian axis of evil,” Netanyahu said. 

“They are impressed by our determination and courage. Like us, they aspire to a stable, secure, prosperous Middle East,” the prime minister concluded.

In October, U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham called for a Saudi Israeli normalization deal by the end of 2024. 

“I think the time to do this is on Biden’s watch,” Graham assessed.