Saudi Arabia and the United States are finalizing the details of a landmark deal to boost bilateral trade and defense, US officials announced. However, no deal will be reached unless the Kingdom and Israel establish diplomatic relations.
The defense pact would strengthen the seven-year-old security alliance between Saudi Arabia and the US and bind them more closely together as US adversaries such as Iran, Russia, and China seek to expand their influence in the Middle East. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long sought to establish relations with Saudi Arabia.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Thursday that the US is negotiating a major deal that includes three components. The first component consists of a package of agreements between the US and Saudi Arabia, the second component is the settlement of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, and the third component is the creation of a Palestinian state.
