Saudi Arabia is already taking steps towards normalization by improving its relationship with Israel BUT only Biden can make a normalization deal a reality
Robert Satloff 23 (Satloff has a BA from Duke, a MA from Harvard and a PHD from Oxford. He is Executive Director of The Washington Institute, a member of the board of editors for the Middle East Quarterly, and is a published author. He specializes in U.S., Arab, and Israeli politics, policy, and diplomacy,) “Saudi Normalization with Israel, Domestic 'Transformation,' and U.S. Policy,” The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, March 1, 2023, https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/saudi-normalization-israel-domestic-transformation-and-us-policy/CR
Prospects for a Saudi-Israel diplomatic breakthrough appear to have cooled lately amid Riyadh’s rapprochement with Tehran and domestic ferment in Israel. But a narrow focus on these obstacles misses deeper, more encouraging trend lines, including Saudi public receptivity to people-to-people contact already underway in business and sports. Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman has stirringly referred to Israel as a “potential ally,” and the transformative post-oil future he is mapping out for the kingdom offers the promise of bilateral cooperation in commerce, high-tech, and tourism, among other sectors. Notwithstanding Riyadh’s deal with Iran, the Saudis and Israelis still share a common threat in the Islamic Republic and a common interest to address it.
The key to a Saudi-Israel normalization agreement, writes Segal Executive Director Robert Satloff in this new Institute Policy Note, is the U.S. role. While cautioning that a “Sadat to Jerusalem” moment is unrealistic for Saudi Arabia and Israel in the near future, especially given competing priorities for Riyadh, he argues that President Biden could—if he so chooses—negotiate a historic three-way, win-win-win arrangement that not only establishes formal Saudi-Israel relations but also advances a range of important American interests.