White House Closes In On Deal With Israel And Saudi Arabia

Bloomberg reports that, "the White House is considering formal defense treaties with Saudi Arabia and Israel," as part of a widescale recalibration of US engagement with the Middle East.

• According to BBG sources, the Biden Administration, "believes one way to achieve Israeli-Saudi normalization is to offer both security pacts comprehensive enough to require Congressional approval."
• Further evidence a deal may be close came yesterday when Biden met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the first time since the latter was returned to office in January -The longest gap for a meeting between leaders of the US and Israel since 1964, widely taken as a public rebuke for Netanyahu's policies in the West Bank and to reform the judiciary.
• Yesterday's meeting came with a promise from Biden of a Netanyahu White House visit in the coming months, further evidence a thaw may be underway.
• A security arrangement with Saudi Arabia would reassert US influence in the Gulf to counter the growing influence of China and Iran and provide a major foreign policy win for Biden ahead of the 2024 presidential election.