U.S. Senate Delegation to Meet With Saudi Crown Prince Amid Standoff

Date: 07 October 2023 - 22:28

News ID: ۱۲۰۰۱۵

WASHINGTN (Dispatches) – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst, who co-chairs the so-called Abraham Accords caucus, will lead a delegation to visit Saudi Arabia and the Israeli-occupied territories in the next few days, Axios has reported.
During her trip, Ernst is expected to meet with Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Zionist prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to the report, which cites Ernst’s office and an Israeli official.
A source told the news site that Ernst is expected to encourage the leaders of the two sides to move towards normalizing ties between them.
For months, the Biden administration has been working to broker a deal between the occupying regime and the kingdom, following through on the Donald Trump administration’s successful brokering of similar agreements between the regime and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco.
Part of the U.S. discussions over a potential normalization between the Zionist regime and Saudi Arabia have been a Saudi-U.S. military pact and U.S. support for a Saudi civilian nuclear program.
If the U.S. were to enter into a defence pact with Saudi Arabia, it would require approval from the Senate, meaning the Biden administration would need support from both Republicans and Democrats.
Earlier this week, a group of 20 Democratic senators sent a letter to the Biden administration raising a number of concerns over the reported concessions Washington was discussing in order to broker the normalization agreement, especially regarding the discussion of a Saudi-U.S. military pact and U.S. support for a Saudi civilian nuclear program.
“A high degree of proof would be required to show that a binding defense treaty with Saudi Arabia – an authoritarian regime which regularly undermines U.S. interests in the region, has a deeply concerning human rights record, and has pursued an aggressive and reckless foreign policy agenda – aligns with U.S. interests,” the letter said.
The senators also called for any deal to require the Zionist regime make “meaningful and enforceable” concessions to the Palestinians.