President Biden and Prime Minister Netanyahu reportedly agreed that possible deal with Saudi Arabia must include steps to keep option of two-state solution open.
By World Israel News Staff
Any future normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia brokered by the U.S. must include measures aimed at keeping alive the possibility of a two-state solution to the Israel-Arab conflict, President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly said in a face-to-face meeting last week.
The two leaders met at the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in Manhattan last week, during which they agreed that steps must be taken to preserve the option of the two-state solution, according to a report by Axios on Friday.
The report cited an unnamed Israeli official and a second source, who was briefed on the details of the meeting between Netanyahu and Biden.
No details were given regarding the steps to be taken to keep the two-state solution viable, and Biden reportedly issued no direct demands.
Netanyahu reportedly agreed to Biden’s framework for a Saudi peace deal which includes some Israeli concessions aimed at keeping the door open to a final status deal with the Palestinian Authority in the future.
A day before the meeting, two senior Biden White House officials – National Security Council Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk and Biden’s energy adviser Amos Hochstein – met with Netanyahu’s staff to prepare for the president’s discussion with Netanyahu.
According to the report, Netanyahu’s aides declined requests by the two Biden administration officials to offer details regarding specific concessions the Israeli premier is prepared to make to the Palestinian Authority as part of a deal with the Saudis.
Publicly, Saudi Arabia has insisted that Palestinian statehood is essential to resolving the Israel-Arab conflict, though Riyadh has signaled it would suffice with smaller concessions by Israel as part of a normalization deal.
The current Israeli government, made up of right-wing and religious parties, has already ruled out backing the establishment of a Palestinian state, with some coalition partners vowing to bolt should Netanyahu agreed to move forward with Palestinian statehood.
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