• Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
  • CCPA
  • Medical Disclaimer
Friday, June 2, 2023
Galveston County News Online
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Technology
    • Crytpocurrency
    • Gaming
    • Gadgets
  • Sports
  • Health
  • General
    • Business Services
  • Travel
  • Press Releases
  • Popular
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Business
  • Technology
    • Crytpocurrency
    • Gaming
    • Gadgets
  • Sports
  • Health
  • General
    • Business Services
  • Travel
  • Press Releases
  • Popular
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Israel Hopes US Will Mend Ties With Saudi Arabia, Ambassador Says – Axios

israel-hopes-us-will-mend-ties-with-saudi-arabia,-ambassador-says-–-axios
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Herzog said Thursday that it would be “very important for our region” if the U.S. and Saudi Arabia were to “fix” their relationship.

Why it matters: U.S.-Saudi relations have been rocky since the election of President Biden, who promised on the campaign trail to make the Kingdom a “pariah,” and later released an intelligence report directly blaming Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

  • The Saudis have recently rebuffed U.S. requests to increase their oil output, opting instead to stick to a production pact reached with Russia.
  • The Israeli government is concerned that the tensions between the Biden administration and Saudi Arabia will push the Saudis towards Russia and China and lead to less U.S. engagement in the Gulf, which could embolden Iran.

Between the lines: Israel and Saudi Arabia have has a secret relationship for many years, handled through their intelligence agencies. One of their main shared interests is countering Iran.

What he’s saying: “Saudi Arabia is a hugely important actor in our part of the world and in the Islamic world as a whole,” Herzog said. “Strategically speaking, and I’m not ignoring all the difficulties, I think that is very important for our region” that relations improve.

  • Speaking at a breakfast briefing hosted by Al-Monitor, Herzog added that mending relations with Riyadh would be particularly crucial if the U.S. plans to restore the Iran nuclear deal, which Israel and Saudi Arabia both oppose.
  • Herzog also said Israel hopes Saudi Arabia will join other Gulf countries in growing the Abraham Accords and normalizing relations with Israel, but said that will be difficult if the U.S. and Saudi Arabia haven’t restored their relationship first.
  • He did not address a question from Axios as to whether he has personally lobbied U.S. officials on this issue.

State of play: The Biden administration has been walking a tightrope, engaging with Saudi officials on security and energy issues while keeping the crown prince himself at arms’ length.

The other side: 30 House Democrats — including Reps. Gregory Meeks and Adam Schiff — chairs of the Foreign Affairs and Intelligence Committees, respectively — wrote to Secretary of State Tony Blinken on Wednesday urging him to “recalibrate” the relationship.

  • “Our continued unqualified support for the Saudi monarchy, which systematically, ruthlessly represses its own citizens, targets critics all over the world, carries out a brutal war in Yemen, and bolsters authoritarian regimes throughout the Middle East and North Africa, runs counter to U.S. national interests and damages the credibility of the United States to uphold our values,” they wrote.
  • While America’s “genuine” allies stood by its side in condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, they argued, Saudi Arabia was refusing to condemn Russia or to produce more oil.
  • “The United States can continue our status-quo of seemingly unconditional support for an autocratic partner, or we can stand for human rights and rebalance our relationship to reflect our values and interests,” the authors concluded.

Flashback: Israel declined to criticize MBS over the Khashoggi assassination under then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and lobbied the Trump administration and Congress not to sanction the Saudis.

Worth noting: MBS has shown openness to a diplomatic deal with Israel but his father King Salman, who is a strong supporter of Palestinians, is believed to be blocking the move.

Galveston County News Online

© 2021 Galveston County News Online

Navigate Site

  • Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
  • CCPA
  • Medical Disclaimer

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • DMCA Policy
  • Medical Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure
  • CCPA
  • Terms of Use

© 2021 Galveston County News Online

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT