Israel rejects US proposal related to Saudi Arabia

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the White House's offer to discuss the creation of a Palestinian state in exchange for normalising relations with Saudi Arabia.

Washington and Riyadh will soon sign a bilateral agreement that guarantees cooperation with the US for Saudi Arabia in the defence sector and assistance in the development of its own civilian nuclear programme, Elaph reports, citing the US high-ranking source.

Saudi Arabia agreed to normalise relations with Israel if an independent Palestinian state is created.

“The US and Saudi Arabia have drafted a set of agreements on security and technology-sharing which were intended to be linked to a broader Middle East settlement involving Israel and the Palestinians. However, in the absence of a ceasefire in Gaza and in the face of adamant resistance from Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israeli government to the creation of a Palestinian state – and its apparent determination to launch an offensive on Rafah – the Saudis are pushing for a more modest plan B, which excludes the Israelis. Under that option, the US and Saudi Arabia would sign agreements on a bilateral defence pact, US help in the building of a Saudi civil nuclear energy industry, and high-level sharing in the field of artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies,” according to The Guardian.