Blinken sees possibility for Israel-Saudi normalization and 90% agreement on Gaza ceasefire

Shafaq News/ US Secretary of State Antony Blinken believed that a normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia remains possible before President Biden's term ends.

During a press conference in Haiti, Blinken mentioned that reaching an agreement would first require a ceasefire in Gaza and Israeli approval of a “credible pathway for a Palestinian state”,which Saudi Arabia insists on but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejects outright.

“A lot of work would have to go into that,” Blinken admitted, adding that both Israel and Saudi Arabia have indicated their interest in such an agreement.

“I think if we can get a ceasefire in Gaza, there remains an opportunity through the balance of this administration to move forward on normalisation,” he said.

Blinken confirmed that around 90% of the Gaza ceasefire agreement has been agreed upon, but critical issues remain unresolved, including the so-called Philadelphia Corridor on Gaza's southern border with Egypt.

Furthermore, he noted that Washington would present additional ideas at the negotiating table in the coming days, expecting that these ideas would be conveyed to Israel and that Qatar and Egypt would relay them to Hamas.

Israel and Hamas have exchanged accusations of obstructing a ceasefire agreement after eleven months of conflict, while Netanyahu faces increasing domestic pressure to finalize an agreement that would free hostages taken during the October 7 attack.

Netanyahu denied the existence of a near agreement, telling Fox News, "It’s exactly inaccurate. There's a story, a narrative out there that there's a deal out there … that’s just a false narrative."

However, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby contradicted this, stating that “90% – verge of a deal. You call that optimistic, I call that accurate.”