Saudi-Israel normalization not over despite Gaza war, Blinken says crown prince told him
TEL AVIV — Saudi Arabia's defacto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, has told the U.S. that a deal to normalize relations with Israel is not over because of the war in Gaza, and the kingdom is prepared to move forward with plans to recognize Israel once the war is over if the Palestinians have a pathway for rights, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told NBC News in an exclusive interview.
Blinken said that the crown prince, along with leaders he met with in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on his diplomatic tour, all want a durable peace for the entire region if the Palestinians can get a state, as the U.S. has also demanded since the Oslo Accords decades ago.
“They want a region that includes Israel. They’re prepared to do things, to make commitments, to give assurances for Israel’s security. But that also has to include the Palestinian piece," Blinken said. "And then you have an integrated region, a peaceful region, a secure region with some outliers, like Iran and its proxies.”
When asked specifically whether he was saying that bin Salman told him normalization was not dead because of Oct. 7, Blinken replied, “That’s correct.”
"He and virtually every other leader I talk to supports moving forward with integration, normalization if you want to call it. But, of course, the conflict in Gaza needs to end," Blinken said. "And there has to be a pathway for Palestinian rights."
Before the Hamas attack on Israel, the Saudis, Israel and the Biden administration had been holding intensive talks on the possibility of establishing diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
The prospect was a major topic of discussion among leaders of the three countries and their foreign ministers during meetings at the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September. Israel saw major security, diplomatic and economic advantages from the prospect of Saudi recognition, anticipating the rest of the Arab world would follow.
It would be the final, most difficult piece of the Abraham Accords initiated by the Trump administration to get Arab countries to recognize Israel. In return, the Saudi crown prince was demanding U.S. security guarantees and a civilian nuclear reactor to diversify the Saudi oil-based economy. The nuclear and security agreement for Saudi Arabia would require Senate confirmation, something multiple U.S. officials say the Biden White House hoped to accomplish early this year before it became consumed in re-election politics. U.S officials acknowledged they would have to overcome some criticism, chiefly from Senate critics of Saudi Arabia because of human rights violations, most notably the killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Blinken met with the Saudi leader Monday evening at his winter retreat in Al Ula, a picturesque ancient town in Northwest Saudi Arabia that is along the historic spice route going back more than two thousand years. The crown prince is developing the area into a modern resort.
U.N. Security Council to vote on a resolution demanding Houthi rebels stop attacks on Red Sea shipping
The U.N. Security Council scheduled a vote today on a resolution that would condemn and demand an immediate halt to attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on merchant and commercial vessels in the Red Sea area.
The U.S. draft resolution, obtained late yesterday by The Associated Press, says at least two dozen Houthi attacks are impeding global commerce “and undermine navigational rights and freedoms as well as regional peace and security.”
The Iranian-backed Houthis, who have been engaged in a civil war with Yemen’s internationally recognized government since 2014, have said they launched the attacks with the aim of ending Israel’s devastating air and ground offensive in the Gaza Strip.
The resolution would demand the immediate release of the first ship the Houthis attacked, the Galaxy Leader, a Japanese-operated cargo ship with links to an Israeli company that it seized Nov. 19 along with its crew.
Protests break out in Ramallah over Blinken visit
Palestinians protest a visit by Blinken in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank today, during a tour aimed at calming tensions in the region.
Iraq seeks quick exit of U.S. forces but no deadline set, PM says
Iraq wants a quick and orderly negotiated exit of U.S-led military forces from its soil but has not set a deadline, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said, describing their presence as destabilizing amid regional spillover from the Gaza war.
Long-standing calls by mostly Shia Muslim factions, many close to Iran, for the U.S-led coalition’s departure have gained steam after a series of U.S. strikes on Iran-linked militant groups that are also part of Iraq’s formal security forces.
Those strikes, which came in response to dozens of drone and missile attacks on U.S. forces since Israel launched its Gaza campaign, have raised fears that Iraq could once again become a theater for regional conflict.
“There is a need to reorganize this relationship so that it is not a target or justification for any party, internal or foreign, to tamper with stability in Iraq and the region,” Sudani told Reuters in an interview in Baghdad yesterday.
The Pentagon on Monday said it had no plans to withdraw U.S. troops, which are in Iraq at the invitation of its government.
Giving the first details of his thinking about the future of the coalition since his Jan. 5 announcement that Iraq would begin the process of closing it down, Sudani said the exit should be negotiated under “a process of understanding and dialogue”.
“Let’s agree on a time frame (for the coalition’s exit) that is, honestly, quick, so that they don’t remain long and the attacks keep happening,” he said, noting that only an end to Israel’s war on Gaza would stop the risk of regional escalation.
“This (end of the Gaza war) is the only solution. Otherwise, we will see more expansion of the arena of conflict in a sensitive region for the world that holds much of its energy supply,” Sudani said.
A U.S. withdrawal would likely increase concern in Washington about the influence of arch foe Iran over Iraq’s ruling elite. Iran-backed Shia groups gained strength in Iraq after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
Blinken en route to Bahrain after meeting with Abbas
TEL AVIV — Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with the Palestinian president in the occupied West Bank this morning and is now on his way to Bahrain for an unscheduled addition to his Middle East tour.
In a release, the State Department said Blinken discussed with Mahmoud Abbas ongoing efforts to minimize civilian harm in Gaza and increase the delivery of humanitarian assistance throughout the enclave in their meeting earlier today.
Blinken reaffirmed that Washington supports "tangible steps" toward the creation of a Palestinian state alongside the state of Israel, the release said.
Blinken will meet with the king of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, next. Bahrain is an Arab ally of Washington and host to a major U.S. naval base.
Blinken is scheduled to be back in Tel Aviv tonight as his trip continues. It had previously been expected he would be visiting Egypt before returning to Washington.
More food aid needed in Gaza, WHO warns, amid looming famine risk
There is an urgent need for more food aid in Gaza, particularly in the north, according to Sean Casey, a WHO emergency medical teams coordinator.
“The food situation in the north is absolutely horrific, there’s almost no food available,” he told journalists in Geneva via video from southern Gaza.
The risk of famine in Gaza is also increasing daily, in large part because of the restricted humanitarian access, according to a United Nations report.
Doctors Without Borders condemns death of Gaza staffer's 5-year-old daughter
Doctors Without Borders has condemned the death of a staff member's 5-year-old daughter in what it said was a strike on its shelter in Khan Younis in southern Gaza on Monday.
MSF said that more than 100 MSF staff and their family members were seeking safety in the shelter at the time of the incident.
The child was critically injured after MSF said a "suspected tank shell" broke through the wall of the shelter. She underwent surgery but died of her injuries yesterday, it added. Three other people received minor injuries during the strike, according to MSF. The humanitarian group said it notified the Israeli forces that the shelter was housing MSF staff and their families ahead of the incident.
NBC News could not independently verify the details of the strike.
"In response to Hamas’ barbaric attacks, the IDF is operating to dismantle Hamas military and administrative capabilities," the Israeli army said when asked about the incident.
"In stark contrast to Hamas’ intentional attacks on Israeli men, women and children, the IDF follows international law and takes feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm," the IDF added.
U.K. condemns 'largest' Houthi attack in the Red Sea
The U.K. defense minister said a British naval ship, along with the U.S. warships, repelled what he said was the largest attack yet by the Iranian-backed Houthi militants in the Red Sea.
British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said multiple attack drones fired by the militants were destroyed with guns and sea viper missiles, and there were no injuries or damage to the ship.
He called Houthi attacks in the Red Sea "completely unacceptable" and said the militants will bear the consequences if they don't stop.
"We will take the action needed to protect innocent lives and the global economy," Shapps said.
U.S. Central Command has also confirmed that American forces, with the help of a British destroyer, shot down 21 munitions fired by the Houthis.
It was the 27th attack by Houthis on the trade route since Nov. 19, according to NBC News’ accounts.
Israeli military says it struck more than 150 targets in Gaza
The Israeli military said this morning it had hit approximately 150 sites in Gaza over the last 24 hours.
In an operational update, the IDF said it ground troops directed aircraft to strike "several terrorists" in the Maghazi area in central Gaza, and uncovered more than 15 underground tunnel shafts in the area.
Meanwhile, in Khan Younis, in the south, the IDF said its ground troops directed its aircraft to strike and eliminate "more than 10 terrorists."
NBC News could not verify the IDF's claims or the nature of the targets hit.
Blinken visits West Bank for talks with Abbas
Secretary of State Antony Blinken is visiting the occupied West Bank for a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
It’s part of Blinken’s fourth trip to the region since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, and after his talks with Israeli leaders yesterday. In a news conference, Blinken said the daily toll on civilians in Gaza, particularly on children, is “far too high.”
In an exclusive interview with NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Andrea Mitchell, Blinken also said Washington has been urging Israel to do "everything possible" to avoid civilian casualties in Gaza, and that he was optimistic that Hamas “can and will” resume negotiations on hostage releases even after the targeted killing of one of its leaders and two Hezbollah commanders in Lebanon.