White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Israel and Saudi Arabia have a “broad understanding on many key elements on the road to normalization.”
He made this statement to reporters aboard Air Force One as he and US President Joe Biden headed to India for the G20 summit. According to Sullivan, the leaders of Israel and Saudi Arabia “put many components of the path to normalization on the table.”
Sullivan added that “there is no working framework and no terms ready to be signed – there is still a lot of work to be done”, but his statement can still be seen as a positive sign.
The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Saudi Arabia has offered to provide financial support to the Palestinian Authority, marking significant progress toward an agreement with Israel and the establishment of diplomatic relations between Riyadh and Jerusalem.
Representatives of the Palestinian Authority met in Jordan with the American delegation to discuss the benefits that the Palestinians will receive as part of the agreement on the normalization of relations. According to the sources, the Palestinians will agree not to oppose normalization if their demands are met, including financial support and the opening of the American embassy in Jerusalem.
Ramallah’s list also includes handing over parts of the West Bank that are under full Israeli control (Area C) to the Palestinian Authority and a complete halt to settlement expansion.