Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has told United States lawmakers that he fears assassination over his attempts to normalize relations with Israel, according to a Wednesday report by Politico.
A U.S. official told the news outlet that the heir to the throne and prime minister of the influential kingdom has even evoked the fate of former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, who was murdered by Islamists in 1981 for his participation with former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at the Camp David Accords.
The source maintained that it is for this reason bin Salman has been insistent that any diplomatic measures with Jerusalem must embrace a commitment to establish a Palestinian state.
Despite the unease for his personal safety, the 38-year-old seventh son of King Salman is still reportedly interested in crafting an agreement with the U.S. and Israel as he sees it being necessary for his country’s future.
The negotiations, which started soon after the 2020 Abraham Accords, seek to establish a formal defense alliance between Riyadh and Washington, ease restrictions on arms sales to the Saudi military, bolster U.S. support for the nation's nuclear program, and tackle the Palestinian issue.
Even if the three parties come to terms on a viable treaty, the arrangements may face difficulties in ratification from U.S. and Israeli legislators. The Biden administration could encounter obstacles in garnering a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate, while post-October 7 massacre opinion polls in the Jewish state suggest that Palestinian statehood is opposed by the public.
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