Senior senators warn Israel-Saudi normalisation is slipping away from US

Senior US lawmakers have said that achieving a deal to normalise ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia is slipping out of Washington's grasp as Israel’s war on Gaza drags on and the American presidential election approaches.

“Ratification of a new security treaty with the United States and the Saudis, in an environment this close to an election, in an environment this charged, I think would be exceptionally difficult,” Democratic Senator Chris Coons, a key Biden ally, told Jewish Insider.

The Biden administration is trying to cajole Israel into a ceasefire with Hamas by holding out the promise of a normalisation agreement with Saudi Arabia.

However, Riyadh wants concrete steps towards a two-state solution but is also in talks with the US for a series of diplomatic deals, including an agreement on nuclear energy, a security pledge, and expedited arms deals, former US officials confirmed to MEE.

Read more: Senior senators warn Israel-Saudi normalisation is slipping away from US