Normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia would be a "transformative event" in the Middle East, but it remains a "difficult proposition," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a news conference with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock that normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia would be a transformative event in the Middle East, and well beyond.
"Moving from a region of turmoil to one of much greater stability and integration would have profound benefits for people in the region and I believe profound benefits for people around the world," Blinken said.
He noted that any agreement between the two nations would need to include a significant component for Palestinians, "Even as we are working on this, it remains a difficult proposition, the specifics of any agreement in terms of what the different parties are looking for, are challenging."
Blinken stressed that normalization is possible but not yet a certainty, "We believe that the benefit that would accrue, were we able to achieve it, would certainly be will be worth the effort."
Saudi Arabia has no official ties with Israel and refuses to normalize relations until Israel ends its long-standing occupation of Palestinian territories.
Since 1979, six Arab countries have established diplomatic relations with Israel: Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco.
