Israel's President  Appears on Al-Arabiya TV in an Exclusive Interview

On Friday  , July 17, Saudi Arabia's Al-Arabiya TV hosted Israeli President Isaac Herzog in an interview in which he promoted  normalization with Saudi Arabia and all Arab countries, in an interview in which he claimed that Tel Aviv's goal is to live in peace with its Arab surroundings.

Herzog praised  Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, saying that he "has all the respect and hopes to meet him in the future," considering that normalization with Saudi Arabia in particular is a "dream" of the occupying state, and he also mentioned that normalization with Syria is also an upcoming goal.

Saudi Arabia had officially engaged in normalization talks with the occupation, but it stipulated Tel Aviv's commitment to the Arab Peace Initiative (the establishment of a Palestinian state), which stalled the talks, in addition to the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, which halted all normalization talks.

Riyadh offers normalization and sending troops to Gaza in exchange for a Palestinian state

An extensive report by Israel's Channel 12 revealed sensitive political backlogs related to the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Israel, highlighting an unprecedented normalization opportunity that was on the table even during the war on Gaza, before it faltered due to the rejection of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to the report.

The report said that the months leading up to the escalation of the war witnessed intensive talks between the administration of US President Joe Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which led to a preliminary version of a historic normalization agreement between Riyadh and Tel Aviv.

According to the leaks, Saudi Arabia offered a willingness to proceed with normalization even during the war, provided that the agreement includes a clear Israeli commitment to establish a Palestinian state within a period of five to seven years.

According to the report, the Saudi crown prince presented an integrated vision for ending the war, which includes sending Saudi troops to Gaza to help manage it after the ceasefire, as part of a Saudi vision to present itself as a party capable of leading the post-combat phase.

The proposed formula included the release of all civilians not involved, including Israeli prisoners, and then the formation of an alternative body to administer Gaza in preparation for the normalization process.

Netanyahu obstructs normalization

The report quoted Saudi officials as saying that they had given guarantees to Tel Aviv that the agreement would not collapse in the event of a delay in the implementation of a Palestinian state, stressing their readiness to hold the Palestinian leadership responsible if this was not achieved within the agreed timetable.

The report indicated that Washington was preparing to advance a package of strategic initiatives in favor of Saudi Arabia, some of which would require broad approval in the US Senate, with the aim of securing the necessary political environment to complete the agreement.

"To avoid the toppling of Netanyahu's government by hard-right ministers, the Biden administration asked opposition leader Yair Lapid to provide a temporary political 'safety net' for Netanyahu's government, which Lapid has already agreed," the report said.

However, according to the report, despite the readiness of the final version and Riyadh's acceptance of it, Netanyahu refused to proceed with the agreement after being informed of the understandings, which led to a complete freeze on the track and left the normalization project in a state of suspension despite being considered the biggest strategic opportunity to reshape the region.

The "Peace Corridor" Project

The report noted that the "new Middle East" is moving forward, but without Israel's participation, explaining that delegations from the Gulf states and Saudi Arabia recently arrived in Washington to discuss the "Peace Corridor" project known as IMEC, which aims to connect Asia and the Middle East through a rail network to transport goods, from the Gulf and possibly India to the port of Haifa.

The administration of US President Joe Biden announced the project in September 2023, as part of efforts to strengthen US influence in the region and support the path of normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia, while Riyadh announced its readiness to invest tens of billions of dollars in it.

The report stated that the war froze the path of normalization and all related projects, while the project expanded regionally to include advanced infrastructures, such as fiber optic networks, cybersecurity, green hydrogen and artificial intelligence, while Israel is no longer on the "peace train" track, as it put it.

Another plan for Saudi-Israeli normalization

On Monday, July 13, the American website Axios revealed what it said was a "secret plan" by the late US Senator Lindsey Graham that he was working on weeks before his death with the aim of advancing a "path of normalization" between Saudi Arabia and the occupation through a strategic defense pact between Washington and Riyadh.

According to a report published by the American website, Graham led a high-level mediation based on American security commitments to the Kingdom in exchange for normalization, in light of Saudi adherence to a clear and binding path towards a Palestinian state, which made his death, according to the website, a severe blow to this diplomatic track.

Graham held intensive talks that lasted for weeks between Riyadh, Tel Aviv and Washington, and he considered normalization to be the "decisive prize" for reshaping the region after the war with Iran, stressing that the late plan includes launching a broad diplomatic campaign after the occupation elections in October and the midterm elections in the United States, with the aim of reaching an agreement before the new Congress is sworn in next January.

Saudi Insistence on the Establishment of a Palestinian State

According to Axios, Graham pressured U.S. President Donald Trump to authorize a "short and overwhelming" military operation to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, in parallel with making Saudi-Israeli normalization the centerpiece of a broader regional plan.؜

Trump told the leaders of Arab and Muslim countries in a conference call that they should normalize if the war with Iran ends, with a particular focus on Saudi Arabia.

Axios stressed that Saudi officials have insisted that any agreement must include an irreversible path to the establishment of a Palestinian state within a clear timetable, which the occupation government has rejected.

Graham was planning to visit Saudi Arabia and the occupying power to assess the chances of reopening the talks, with intensive work to begin in September in preparation for the terms of the agreement in November, and the plan included a defense treaty between Washington and Riyadh, most of which was negotiated during the Biden administration and requires the approval of two-thirds of the Senate, which made Graham see the transition period after the midterm elections as the "only realistic window" to pass.