US, Saudis near security deal, with or without Israel

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pose in chairs — If Israel does not get on board, the Saudis want to exclude them from the deal

(Image credit: Bandar Al-Jaloud / Saudi Royal Court / Handout / Anadolu via Getty Images)

What happened

The U.S. and Saudi Arabia are "nearing a historic pact" that would offer the Saudis advanced weapons and "security guarantees" and create an opening for possible "diplomatic ties with Israel" if its government commits to a path to Palestinian statehood and stops its war in Gaza, Bloomberg said Wednesday. If Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government balks, the Saudis want a "more modest plan B, which excludes the Israelis," The Guardian said.

Who said what

The "intense work" the U.S. and Saudis have done on "our own agreements, I think, is very close to completion," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Riyadh on Monday. A bilateral agreement is "very, very close," Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud agreed.

The commentary

A "less-for-less" U.S.-Saudi deal makes sense so it's not "hostage to the whims of Israeli politics or Benjamin Netanyahu," the Middle East Institute's Firas Maksad said to The Guardian. No deal will clear the Senate if Israel isn't signed on, said Matt Duss at the Center for International Policy.

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What next?

The agreement, nearly sealed before "Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel," could be complete in weeks, Bloomberg said.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.