National security adviser Jake Sullivan raised the possibility of Saudi Arabia normalizing relations with Israel during a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, U.S. and Saudi sources told Axios.
During a meeting in the city of Neom late last month, the crown price reportedly did not reject the notion.
The Saudis gave Sullivan a list of steps that would need to be taken, some of which involved improving bilateral ties between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, the outlet reported.
The National Security Council did not have any comment when reached by The Hill.
The Biden administration has largely distanced itself from Saudi Arabia after the warm embrace the nation got from former President Trump. Earlier this year, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released a report directly accusing the Saudi crown prince of approving the 2018 killing of U.S-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
But Axios reported that a move to normalize Saudi relations with Israel would likely come as part of a larger plan that would include Israel taking steps regarding Palestine — and the U.S.’s own steps to restore ties with Saudi Arabia.
Getting Saudi Arabia to sign on to the Abraham Accords could convince other Arab and Muslim countries to do the same.
The Trump-era peace treaty, which was brokered last year, currently includes Israel, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Sudan.
During a news briefing alongside Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said his country wants to expand the list of those involved.
“Yes, we want to expand the Abraham Accords. We’re working on expanding the Abraham Accords. But first and foremost, and we’ve discussed this today at length, we want to make sure the current agreements we have will be a success story,” Lapid said.