World
Israel prays for Saudi normalization to come: Herzog
Israel’s president said Wednesday that his country was praying for normalization with Saudi Arabia, a process being pushed by the US.
“Israel thanks the United States for working towards establishing peaceful relations between Israel and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a leading nation in the region and the Muslim world,” Isaac Herzog told US lawmakers during a joint meeting of Congress.
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“We pray for this moment to come,” he said.
Despite US efforts over the years to get Saudi Arabia on board with the Gulf trend to establish diplomatic ties with Israel, the kingdom has held off and demanded a Palestinian state, among other issues, to be resolved in line with the Arab Peace Initiative.
Last week, US President Joe Biden said progress was being made. But he stopped short of declaring a deal was within reaching distance.
“We’re a little way off,” Biden said in an interview when asked about reported Saudi demands for US help to develop civilian nuclear power and for Washington to be a guarantor of Saudi Arabia’s security.
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