White House NSC Kirby: US Still Pursuing Israel-Saudi Normalisation

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby has told reporters that the United States is still pursing a deal to normalise relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, despite the war in Gaza, and Jordan's decision today to recall its ambassadorfrom Israel signaling a decay in relations between Israel and its Arab neighbours.

• Kirby: "We still believe that an integrated Israel is good for the region. That is worth pursing and we're not giving up on that."
• Kirby: "We're still interested in pursing this normalisation arrangement between Israel and Saudi Arabia... and the Saudi Arabians have indicated a willingness to continue in that regard."
• Kirby: "The Jordanian government can, and should, speak for their own decision. We still believe there is great power and great promise in a more cooperative Middle East and we're not going to give up on that."
• MNI's Political Risk team highlighted earlier today that the normalisation deal, a flagship foreign policy initiative of the Biden Administration, is unlikely to progress with the war between Israel and Hamas ongoing.