Mohammed bin Salman Discusses 'Strategic Agreement' and Gaza War with Jake Sullivan

Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, met with Jake Sullivan, the U.S. National Security Advisor, on Saturday, May 18, in Dhahran to discuss the 'semi-final draft' of a strategic agreement between Washington and Riyadh. The Saudi state news agency reported that the meeting also addressed the strategic relations between the two countries and ways to strengthen them in various fields, as well as the cessation of the war in Gaza. A spokesperson for the Saudi government stated: 'Mohammed bin Salman and Jake Sullivan discussed the joint efforts of both countries regarding the Palestinian issue to find a credible path towards a two-state solution that fulfills the legitimate demands and rights of the Palestinian people.' According to the report, Mohammed bin Salman and Jake Sullivan also talked about the necessity of ending the war in Gaza and increasing humanitarian aid to the region. Earlier that day, a spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council announced that Jake Sullivan was heading to Saudi Arabia for the meeting with Mohammed bin Salman. The White House emphasized that Jake Sullivan would discuss bilateral and regional issues, including the war in Gaza and ongoing efforts to achieve lasting peace and security in the Gaza Strip. The U.S. National Security Advisor will travel to Israel on Sunday, where he is expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior officials to discuss developments in the Gaza war. Jake Sullivan's trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia also includes a long-term effort to progress towards a 'grand agreement' between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia that could involve normalizing relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. Bloomberg reported on May 2 that negotiations between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia have accelerated recently and that the two countries are close to reaching a 'security agreement.' Bloomberg noted that this agreement would provide significant security guarantees to Saudi Arabia and also offer a framework for the potential normalization of future relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. The report indicated that in exchange for the guarantees Washington provides to Riyadh, the U.S. would benefit from strengthening its regional position against the Islamic Republic and China, both politically and economically. According to Bloomberg, this agreement is a new version of a framework aimed at isolating the Islamic Republic, which was established before the extremist group Hamas attacked Israel, and normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia was supposed to be part of it. The extremist group Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the European Union.