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US denies Saudis froze talks on Israel normalization: ‘Look forward to further conversations’
Jacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, left, meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Jeddah on June 7, 2023. (Amer Hilabi/Pool Photo via AP)
The US State Department is the latest to deny a report in the Saudi Elaph news site claiming that Riyadh has decided to freeze talks with the US about a normalization deal with Israel due to the hard-right character of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
“The United States remains committed to furthering Israel’s regional integration, including through active diplomacy aimed at Israel-Saudi normalization. Talks are ongoing, and we look forward to further conversations with both parties,” tweets the State Department’s Near Eastern Affairs Bureau.
