REUTERS
Exclusive-US-Saudi defence pact tied to Israel deal, Palestinian demands put aside
Samia Nakhoul, James Mackenzie, Matt Spetalnick, Aziz El Yaakoubi
September 29, 2023

Saudi Arabia is determined to secure a military pact requiring the United States to defend the kingdom in return for opening ties with Israel and will not hold up a deal even if Israel does not offer major concessions to Palestinians in their bid for statehood, three regional sources familiar with the talks said…The Palestinians could get some Israeli restrictions eased but such moves would fall short of their aspirations for a state. As with other Arab-Israeli deals forged over the decades, the Palestinian core demand for statehood would take a back seat…READ MORE

FRONT PAGE MAG Saudis Make Clear They’re Ignoring Palestinian Demands In the three-way negotiations between the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Israel, it has become ever clearer that while the Saudis continue to publicly declare their support for the Palestinians, they are in fact prepared to normalize ties with Israel without obtaining — or perhaps without even asking — for major Israeli concessions to the Palestinians.