Former White House envoy: Bin Salman saw normalization with Israel as an achievable goal

Brett McGurk, former White House envoy under Biden, said that Mohammed bin Salman told him in 2021 that normalization with Israel was a goal he wanted to achieve within three years. Trump said last week that Israel assisted Saudi Arabia against the Houthis, and that the possibility of joining the Abraham Accords is back on the table.

Brett McGurk, former White House envoy in the Biden administration, said today (Wednesday) that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told him in a 2021 meeting that he sees normalization with Israel as a goal he "set before his eyes," and aimed to achieve it within three years. McGurk made the remarks at a press conference, adding that "we should have seized the opportunity immediately." Against this backdrop, US President Donald Trump said last week that Israel assisted Saudi Arabia in its war against the Houthis in Yemen, and that the possibility of the kingdom joining the Abraham Accords is back on the table, "perhaps more than ever." Trump did not detail what the Israeli assistance entailed, nor did he announce an official renewal of normalization negotiations or any new agreements. The article mentions a previous report by Kan News from September 15, stating that Israel began transferring intelligence information to Saudi Arabia via the United States, at the Saudis' request, to ensure freedom of navigation in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The article does not include a Saudi response or an update on bin Salman's current position.