Biden's top adviser in Saudi Arabia to discuss Israel ties

By Abdel-Jabbar Abu Ras

ISTANBUL (AA) – US President Joe Biden's top adviser Brett McGurk arrived in Riyadh to discuss a possible normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, according to a US news portal.

McGurk’s talks with Saudi officials “will focus on the administration's efforts to reach a normalization agreement between Israel and the kingdom as well as other issues,” Axios reported.

The US adviser is expected to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his visit.

There was no comment from the Saudi authorities on the report.

McGurk's visit comes a few days after US State Secretary Antony Blinken visited Saudi Arabia, where he met with several Saudi officials, including bin Salman.

Saudi Arabia does not have diplomatic relations with Israel and opposes normalization with Tel Aviv until ending the decades-long Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories.

Six Arab countries have diplomatic ties with Israel starting with Egypt in 1979, Jordan in 1994, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan in 2020.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar