Israeli-Saudi normalization still possible before US elections in November, Israeli official says

WASHINGTON — A normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia is still possible before the November presidential election, an Israeli official tells reporters in a briefing, adding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the matter with US President Joe Biden during their Thursday meeting.

“If the prices are acceptable to us. It could develop there even before the elections. Israel and Saudi Arabia share a common interest,” the Israeli official says, ostensibly referring to efforts to curb Iran’s influence in the region.

Senior Congressional sources told The Times of Israel earlier this month that there is no chance for a deal before the election because there isn’t enough time left for Congress to authorize the security package that Riyadh is seeking with Washington as part of the broader initiative being advanced by the Biden administration.

The Congressional sources didn’t completely rule out a deal between the election and the inauguration of the next president, but they stressed that it was still very unlikely.