Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen revealed that the general framework for an agreement to establish relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel with US mediation "may be ready by early next year."

What did the Saudi crown prince say?

• Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in an interview with Fox News, commenting on the negotiations on the relationship with Israel, said that they are "advancing day by day."

At the same time, the Saudi crown prince stressed that the Palestinian issue is important for normalizing relations.

• He said: "For us the Palestinian cause is very important. We need to solve this part... We have a good negotiation strategy that continues so far."

"I really want to see a good life for the Palestinians, so I would like to complete negotiations with the Biden administration to ensure that," he said, noting that for the first time negotiations on normalization with Israel seem real and serious and "we'll see how it goes."

• "We have to see where we go. We hope that we will reach a place that will facilitate the lives of Palestinians and make Israel a player in the Middle East," the Saudi crown prince said, adding: "If we breach an agreement that gives the Palestinians their needs and makes the region quiet, we will work with anyone who leads Israel."

• He pointed out that if the administration of US President Joe Biden succeeds in concluding an agreement between the Kingdom and Israel, it will be the largest agreement since the end of the Cold War.

Netanyahu's position

Prince Mohammed bin Salman's interview was broadcast shortly after US President Joe Biden met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while both were in New York for the UN General Assembly.

Biden raised concerns about the Israeli government's right-wing treatment of Palestinians, urging Netanyahu to take steps to improve conditions in the West Bank at a time of increasing violence in the occupied territories.

During the meeting, the Israeli prime minister stressed the possibility of working with the US administration to reach a historic peace agreement with Saudi Arabia.

"Such a peace will contribute greatly to ending the Arab-Israeli conflict, achieving reconciliation between the Muslim world and the Jewish state and promoting real peace between Israel and the Palestinians. It's something at hand."

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that it would be better for the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Israel "to talk about how close they are to each other and where they think they are in this process," adding that his country encourages normalization of relations because "it is good not only for Israel and Saudi Arabia, but we think it is good for the whole region."

The future of relationships

Scott Morgan, an American researcher specializing in political affairs and national security, in an interview with Sky News Arabia, identified the future of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel in a number of points, saying:

I think Riyadh and Tel Aviv are closer than ever to normalizing their relations, and here I would like to mention the quote that has often been used that "countries have no allies, but they have common interests," and therefore both Saudi Arabia and Israel share an interest in Iran not having a nuclear weapon that threatens them.

Timing is the matter of the essence, and it would not have been possible to agree with the current Israeli government, but Netanyahu may have other domestic priorities that he is interested in dealing with, so it may be Israel's next prime minister to make the deal with the kingdom.

There is an indication from the Saudi crown prince's talk that the agreement facilitates the lives of Palestinians and makes Israel a player in the Middle East, and some may think of this politically, but this has huge economic dimensions.

Richard Weitz, director of the Center for Political-Military Analysis at the Hudson Institute, agreed with this and said in exclusive statements to Sky News Arabia that the Saudi crown prince aims to develop relations with Israel in parallel with progress on the Palestinian issue and with improving relations with Iran and the United States.

Incentives.. and ballasts

Ayman Samir, an expert specializing in international relations, estimated in his statements to Sky News Arabia, Saudi Arabia is at the earliest opportunity to normalize with Israel more than ever, but not in 2023, and perhaps in the second half of 2024, saying: "If there is a set of incentives for normalization, there are also brakes."

According to Samir, on top of those incentives supporting the normalization of relations is the "India-Europe" corridor, which was announced at the G20 summit, and Riyadh and Tel Aviv will be part of this major project, and there are American efforts to achieve an agreement with Saudi Arabia parallel to the achievement that occurred in the "Abraham Accords" in the era of Trump.

He explained that the Middle East has become more receptive to the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, as well as the new role of Saudi Arabia and openness at all levels in recent years.

But the Palestinian issue remains a stumbling block to the speed of reaching an agreement between Riyadh and Tel Aviv, according to the international relations expert, as peace negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis have stalled and the conflict has escalated in recent months.