Saudi Arabia demands US security pledges, nuclear help for peace deal with Israel: report

Saudi Arabia is demanding security guarantees and help in the development of its civilian nuclear programme from the United States, as the latter is trying to broker its peace deal with Israel, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal.

Reaching a normalisation deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel has become a priority for Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and United States President Joe Biden as chances of confrontation with Iran, over its military aid to Russia amid the Ukraine war and the nuclear programme, remain high.

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The reports stated the deep involvement of the Biden administration in the complex negotiations, adding that any deal would reshape the political landscape of the Middle East.

The demands made by Saudi Arabia for nuclear aid and security guarantees stand as daunting obstacles amid the deal, as the measures are likely to be opposed by some Washington lawmakers.

Riyadh is cautious about striking a deal that is likely to come under fire in the Arab world and aggravate tensions with Iran.

Former U.S. ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro, who is a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council and now works towards strengthening Israel-Arab world ties, said that the potential deal is “a very tough Gordian knot to cut.”

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“Normalisation between Israel and Saudi Arabia, facilitated by the United States, is in all three parties’ interests,” he stated. “But that doesn’t mean it’s easy to arrange,” Shapiro added.

However, US, Saudi and Israeli officials said that there is the possibility for the deal to happen. Netanyahu is aiming to build Israeli ties to the Arab world which expanded in 2020 with the Abraham Accords.

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