Blinken visits Saudi Arabia amid notable shift in Saudi-Israel relations

(MENAFN) As part of his diplomatic efforts in the Middle East, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a significant stop in Saudi Arabia on Sunday. This visit comes amid a notable shift in Saudi-Israel relations, with the Kingdom warming to Israel but placing the normalization process on hold for now. During the early morning, Blinken held a nearly hour-long meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the royal's farm residence in the Riyadh area, as reported by a U.S. official.

When questioned about the outcome of the meeting, Blinken described it as "very productive." His visit to the region comes in the wake of an incident on October 7, when Hamas fighters infiltrated Israel from the Gaza Strip, a territory under blockade, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,300 people, the majority of whom were civilians. This attack triggered a substantial retaliatory campaign against Hamas in Gaza, leading to the loss of more than 2,300 lives.

Prior to this violence, there had been talk of progress in U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. However, following the conflict, Saudi Arabia paused this process. Blinken has suggested that the Hamas attack may have played a role in disrupting Saudi-Israel normalization endeavors.

It's worth noting that Saudi Arabia holds a pivotal role as the guardian of Islam's two holiest sites. Therefore, any formal recognition of Israel by the Kingdom would represent a historic milestone for Israel, which had already normalized relations with three other Arab states in 2020. As part of the normalization package, Saudi Arabia has been seeking security guarantees from the United States, its long-standing partner and a significant consumer of Saudi oil. This underscores the intricate geopolitical landscape of the Middle East and the multifaceted factors at play in regional diplomacy and security.

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