A potential agreement between Washington and Riyadh would not involve West Jerusalem, according to a report
According to Axios, a potential security agreement between the United States and Saudi Arabia would be separate from a previously planned “mega-deal” with Israel. Sources familiar with the matter told the outlet that Musaad bin Mohammed al-Aiban, Saudi Arabia’s national security advisor, visited the White House last week and met with his US counterpart Jake Sullivan, along with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Biden advisors Brett McGurk and Amos Hochstein.
Sources claimed that the talks focused on the two countries’ bilateral relations, and the parties aim to finalize a package of security, technology, and economic agreements before US President Joe Biden leaves office in January.
One source asserted that the security agreement discussed at the meeting would be separate from Washington’s efforts to advance a so-called “mega-deal” that would include the normalization of diplomatic relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Prior to the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the Biden administration had been pushing for the mega-deal, which would have also encompassed an agreement on civilian nuclear cooperation. According to the Axios report, the White House believed that if the nuclear agreement was part of a broader deal, the US Senate might be more inclined to ratify it.
The report stated that Biden’s push to sign a security accord with Riyadh was also aimed at strengthening the US position in the Gulf amid growing Chinese and Russian influence in the region.
As part of these efforts, Biden officially designated Qatar as a major non-NATO ally in March 2022, upgrading its relationship with Doha. In September 2023, the US and Bahrain sealed a Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement, and in 2024, Biden designated the UAE as a Major Defense Partner.