From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, May 21, 2024
Blinken: Israel may not be willing to accept Saudi normalization if it requires pathway to Palestinian state
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken acknowledges for the first time that Israel might not be willing to embrace a normalization deal with Saudi Arabia if it means agreeing to clear progress toward a Palestinian state.
“The Saudis demand a ceasefire in Gaza and a pathway to a Palestinian state, and it may well be that Israel isn’t able, willing to proceed down this pathway,” Blinken says in testimony before Congress.
“It must decide if it wants to take advantage of this opportunity to achieve something sought from its founding,” Blinken says.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated again Sunday that he would not accept a Palestinian state, even if one came with a Saudi normalization deal. Riyadh and Washington have been clear that movement toward statehood is needed to reach an agreement.
