Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan Postpones Meeting with Saudi Crown Prince MBS as He Fractured His Rib: High-Level Talks on Israel Postponed as Anger Grows Over Aid Workers Strike
- ‘This was a little accident of his own. It was not caused by anyone. It was not the result of any nefarious act,” John Kirby said of Sullivan’s injury
- The US wants normalized relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel
- Normalization talks have been on hold since Hamas’s attack on Israel in October
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has postponed plans to travel to Saudi Arabia later this week as he recovers from a broken rib following a minor accident.
Sullivan was scheduled to travel to the Middle East on Thursday, where he would hold talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, amid a U.S. push for progress toward normalizing relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
The injury “has affected his ability to travel,” White House spokesman John Kirby said in a briefing with reporters. ‘This was a little accident of his own. It was not caused by anyone. It was not the result of a nefarious act.”
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has postponed a trip to Saudi Arabia due to a broken rib
Kirby said the trip would be rescheduled but did not provide a date.
Normalization efforts had been put on hold during Israel’s war with Hamas following the terrorist group’s attack last October, but the US has tried to jump-start the talks.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Saudi Arabia last month to meet with the crown prince and the Saudi prime minister.
During the trip, Blinken “reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to a lasting end to the Gaza crisis and to the creation of a future Palestinian state with security guarantees for Israel.”
Sullivan was scheduled to meet with Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman about normalizing relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel
Normalization talks have been on hold since Hamas’s attack on Israel in October – above, World Central Kitchen aid workers were killed by an Israeli attack in Gaza
As part of a normalization deal, Saudi Arabia wants to forge a mutual defense pact with Washington and get U.S. support for its civilian nuclear program.
The US hopes that if it reaches an agreement with Saudi Arabia, it will be able to present it to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose agreement would include a two-state solution.
“Much progress has been made in talks between the US and Saudi Arabia on their draft defense treaty. They want to get their side of the deal done and then put it on our table and say, ‘Take it or leave it,'” a senior Israeli official told Axios.
Even if the U.S. reaches a deal with the Saudis, a defense treaty would have to be ratified by the Senate.