esfera/Shutterstock The US and Saudi Arabia are edging closer to security deal, but an ironclad treaty likely hinges on a longshot Israel-Saudi normalization deal and progress on the Palestinian issue.Despite myriad obstacles, Washington is pressing ahead on both fronts as part of a plan for a post-Gaza war Mideast security architecture.Absent Israel-Saudi normalization, some argue the US and the kingdom should pursue a 鈥渓ite鈥� version of a deal that punts integration of Israel to a later date. Save for later Print Download Share The Biden administration is spending considerable diplomatic capital polishing plans for a US-Saudi security pact, even as a parallel Israel-Saudi normalization deal remains tied to the Palestinian issue. The longshot effort for a three-way deal dusts off a key US goal from 2023 aimed at creating a new Middle East security architecture that appeared to bank on sidelining the notion of a Palestinian state. The pursuit of that grand bargain was torpedoed by Hamas鈥� Oct. 7 attack and subsequent Israeli assault on Gaza, which catapulted the Palestinian question to the forefront 鈥� dramatically complicating the already challenging outlook for any trilateral deal. Further adding to difficulties is an increasingly fractious US-Israel relationship, with US President Joe Biden saying Wednesday he would withhold US weapons supplies if Israel goes ahead with its planned Rafah offensive.
