Arab-Israeli normalization could hurt the region

American and Israeli officials have been trying for months to add Saudi Arabia to the list of Arab signatories to the Abraham accords, ... however, Riyadh has made it clear it does not intend to normalize relations with Israel until the Palestinians are granted statehood. US President Joe Biden said on July 28 that a deal for Israel and Saudi Arabia to normalize relations could be on the horizon after National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan's talks with Saudi officials in Jeddah at the start of the week.

Speaking to donors for his 2024 re-election campaign at an event on Friday, Biden said the rapprochement may be underway without providing further details. The 2020 deal saw the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan normalize relations with Israel and become major importers of Israeli weapons. Israeli annual arms sales hit a new record in 2022, totaling $12.5 billion. It was up from $11.4 million in 2021. An Israeli official said there was significant demand for Israeli weapons from Arab nations that have recently normalized ties with Israel. The Saudis opposed normalizing relations with Israel and instead signed a normalization deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran in Beijing brokering talks in March.