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Saudi leader fears assassination for pursuing normalization with Israel

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The normalization deal would also involve a treaty with the United States that would include security guarantees.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

The Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said to visiting US officials that he wanted to move forward with normalization with Israel but feared assassination, according to Politico.

He referred to Anwar Sadat, the head of Egypt who was assassinated after signing the 1979 Camp David Accords.

The Crown Prince said for this reason any normalization agreement with Israel must include a pathway to a Palestinian state to avoid provoking the wrath of his own people and allies who are already upset about the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

Mohammed bin Salman said, “Saudis care very deeply about this, and the street throughout the Middle East cares deeply about this, and my tenure as the keeper of the holy sites of Islam will not be secure if I don’t address what is the most pressing issue of justice in our region.”

The normalization deal would also involve a treaty with the United States that would include security guarantees, assistance with a civilian nuclear program and investment in technology.

Read  Saudi Arabia's anti-Israel rhetoric and Iran rapprochement raises questions about future normalization

Two main obstacles to a Saudi normalization agreement with Israel and the US are Israel’s refusal to agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state, and time has run out to ratify a normalization agreement through the U.S. Congress before the 2024 election.

Nahal Toosi, a senior foreign affairs correspondent for Politico opined that the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia expressed his anxieties about assassination to convince the U.S. to put additional pressure on Israel to agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state.

However, Toosi added that this may not be merely strategy, but it’s likely that Mohammed bin Salman’s life might actually be danger if a normalization agreement would take place without a resolution to the Palestinian issue.

Although in previous statements, the Saudi Crown Prince felt the Palestinian cause was slowing down Arab advancement and that their leaders are inept, the Gaza war and security fears have lead bin Salman to place more emphasis on a Palestinian state.

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