National Security Advisor Sullivan traveling to Saudi Arabia for talks with Crown Prince
Although the hopes Israeli-Saudi normalization deal have diminished since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, the Biden administration remains keen on reviving prospects.
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan plans to travel to Saudi Arabia this week for talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman amid a US push for progress toward normalizing relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Talks on normalization had been put on ice in the immediate aftermath of the Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian Hamas terrorists on southern Israel and Israel's subsequent operations in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, but conversations have resumed in recent months.
A US official said Sullivan planned talks with the crown prince to check in on the issue but did not expect a major breakthrough.
US working on normalization progress
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on March 21 that the United States and Saudi Arabia had made "good progress" in talks on normalizing ties between the kingdom and Israel, without providing a timeline for concluding a deal.
As part of a normalization deal, Saudi Arabia wants to clinch a mutual defense pact with Washington and get US support for its civil nuclear program.
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