Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman says he would be willing for Israel to conduct counterterror operations in Gaza following war. ‘I don’t personally care about the Palestinian issue, but my people do.’ Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told US President Joe Biden that he does not actually care about whether Israel agrees to a two-state solution, The Atlantic reported.

Saudi Arabia and Israel had been close to a deal on the eve of the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre in the Israeli towns bordering Gaza. The war put the deal on hold, but US Secretary of State Antony Blinken still believed that it was possible, even if the details had changed. Blinken also wanted Saudi Arabia to fund Gaza’s reconstruction following the end of the war.

According to The Atlantic, Bin Salman, for his part, told Blinken that the Biden administration stood the best chance of realizing a deal, and that he wanted to move quickly, before the November 2024 elections, which could precipitate US President Donald Trump’s return to power.

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