Efforts by Riyadh and Washington for a Rapid Security Agreement

The United States and Saudi Arabia are in discussions to reach a security agreement that does not include the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. This was reported by Axios news website on Monday, November 14, citing three sources familiar with the negotiations. According to the report, the security agreement being discussed between the two parties is more limited than what was pursued last year before the Gaza war; however, Washington and Riyadh hope to reach a conclusion before the end of President Joe Biden's term. Before the mid-October attack last year by the extremist group Hamas on southern Israel, Washington was negotiating with Saudi Arabia and Israel on a comprehensive agreement that included the normalization of relations between the two countries. This comprehensive agreement also included a defense treaty and a civilian nuclear cooperation pact between Washington and Riyadh, and Axios reported that the White House believed that if these treaties were part of a broader agreement, the Senate would likely not oppose their approval. However, the October 7 attack by the extremist group Hamas, which is recognized as terrorist by the U.S. and the European Union, on one hand, and the Israeli government's opposition to a two-state solution and the establishment of a Palestinian state on the other, blocked the path to such a comprehensive agreement. Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, emphasized that the normalization of his country's relations with Israel would not be possible without stopping the war and recognizing an independent Palestinian state. On the other hand, Jake Sullivan, the White House National Security Advisor, stated in mid-May that signing a defense agreement with Saudi Arabia would not be possible without the normalization of relations between that country and Israel. According to Axios, Musaad bin Mohammed al-Aiban, Saudi Arabia's National Security Advisor, met last week at the White House with Jake Sullivan and also with Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk, two of Biden's advisors. Axios reported that the discussions focused on the bilateral relations between Riyadh and Washington, especially in the area of expanding security, technical, and economic cooperation before the end of Biden's presidency. The White House and the Saudi ambassador in Washington have not commented on this matter. According to Axios sources, the goal of the White House in these intensive discussions is to reach a bilateral security agreement similar to those that the Biden administration has signed with several other Gulf countries; agreements that have ultimately helped strengthen the United States' position in the region. Two and a half years ago, in March 2022, Joe Biden designated Qatar as a major non-NATO ally. In September 2023, on the eve of the Gaza war, the United States and Bahrain signed a comprehensive agreement to develop security cooperation, and shortly thereafter, the U.S. government referred to the United Arab Emirates as an important defense partner. Over the past four years, the Biden administration has been trying to prevent the expansion of Chinese and Russian influence in the Gulf region. According to American officials, as a result of these efforts, several regional countries that were moving closer to China and negotiating to purchase strategic systems from Russia have changed their approach and currently have much closer relations with Washington. Last week, Faisal bin Farhan, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, emphasized in a speech at a security conference that the United States is considered a reliable partner for Riyadh in the region. The increasing and unprecedented tensions between Iran and Israel and the expansion of military conflicts into Lebanese territory have heightened the importance of achieving security agreements for the Arab Gulf countries.