Bloomberg: “We expect to reach an agreement within a few weeks.”
Saudi Arabia’s cautious stance… Bloomberg News reported on the 1st (local time) that although the US Joe Biden administration was pushing for the normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, a mutual defense agreement with the US came to ben, which Saudi Arabia presented as a condition, is about to do.
Bloomberg, citing sources, said that negotiations between the United States and Saudi Arabia have been accelerating in recent weeks, and many officials are optimistic that an agreement will be reached within a few weeks.
The Biden administration has been trying to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, and Saudi Arabia has asked the United States to end a mutual defense agreement at the level of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and allow enrichment uranium for civilian nuclear development returns for the normalization of relations with Israel has been asking
The joint defense agreement the two sides are expected to sign could be strong enough to require US Senate approval and could give Saudi Arabia access to advanced US weapons, Bloomberg said.
There are also expectations that Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, will agree to restrict Chinese technology and accept US help to establish a civilian nuclear development program in return for large-scale US investments in intelligence artificial (AI) and quantum computing It comes out.
Bloomberg also interpreted the fact that Saudi Arabia has recently stepped up its fight on social networking service (SNS) posts related to the Israel-Hamas war as a sign that the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel is imminent.
According to anonymous sources, a journalist who said Israel should never be forgiven in Saudi Arabia and a person who called for a boycott of American fast food restaurants in Saudi Arabia were said to have been arrested recently.
A source close to the Saudi government confirmed the arrest, saying it reflected heightened alert following the outbreak of war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas on October 7 last year and the Saudi authorities’ will to stifle online speech. which could affect national security. . He said.
Jane Kininmont, director of the European Leadership Network, a think tank, analyzed that the crackdown on pro-Palestinian sentiment on social media could be a sign that Saudi Arabia is serious about normalizing relations with Israel.
“If they change their policy and want to go to Israel and have Israelis come to Riyadh, they won’t want to have a pro-Palestinian movement protesting,” he said.
There has also been speculation that Saudi Arabia is following what is known as ‘Plan B’, which means working closely with the United States only to the exclusion of Israel.
The British daily Guardian reported that although a cease-fire was not reached in the Gaza Strip and that the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, is fiercely against the creation of an independent Palestinian state and has not given up his intention to attack Rafah, the southernmost part of the country Gaza Strip, Saudi Arabia has reached an agreement that bans Israel from the United States They were said to be planning to sign an agreement with .
The main content of Plan B is said to be for the US and Saudi Arabia to reach an agreement that includes a bilateral defense treaty, US support for Saudi Arabia’s civilian nuclear industry, and high-level sharing in the field of AI and others. new technologies.
In addition, he offers to normalize relations in exchange for Israel accepting a two-state solution, but will pursue a separate agreement with the United States regardless of Israel’s agreement to it.
Firas Maqsad, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute think tank, said Saudi Arabia’s relationship with the United States “doesn’t have to be held hostage to Israeli politics and Netanyahu’s whims. There has to be room for a model for less. ” .
If Plan B is adopted, the United States will not immediately achieve its goal of stabilizing the Middle East region, but it will likely be able to strengthen its strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia and block the growing influence of China and Russia in the region.
However, the Guardian said it is unclear whether Congress and the US administration will accept such a low benefit offer.
/happy news
#USSaudi #defense #deal #rapidly #deteriorating.. #ceasefire #Gaza #clue #Korean #economy
