STORY: Normalization of Saudi-Israeli ties "difficult," should involve Palestine: Blinken
DATELINE: Sept. 16, 2023
LENGTH: 0:01:16
LOCATION: Washington D.C.
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. Secretary of State
2. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. Secretary of State
3. various of the press conference

STORYLINE:

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel remains "difficult," and that any agreement between the two should address issues with Palestine.
   
The secretary gave those remarks in response to a question from a press conference attended also by visiting German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock at the State Department.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. Secretary of State
"Even as we are working on this, it remains a difficult proposition. The specifics of any agreement in terms of what the different parties are looking for are challenging. It could not be and would not be a substitute for Israel and the Palestinians also resolving their differences and indeed, in our judgment, continuing to move toward and ultimately achieving a two-state solution. And it's clear from my own conversations, for example, with Saudi leadership that any agreement that might be reached between Israel and Saudi Arabia when it comes to normalization would need to include a significant component for the Palestinians."

The Biden administration has sought to broker the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. Both countries, however, have done things that upset Washington since U.S. President Joe Biden took office.
   
For example, Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu is determined to push ahead with a controversial judicial overhaul despite U.S. concerns. And the Saudi authorities have slashed oil production along with its OPEC partners against U.S. wishes.
   
These and other contexts prompted a question at the press conference about whether it is worth it for the United States to mediate a rapprochement between two of the most powerful yet mutually antagonistic nations in the Middle East.
   
SOUNDBITE 2 (English):ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. Secretary of State
"We believe that the benefit that would accrue were we able to achieve it would certainly be worth the effort. We would expect progress on a number of issues in a number of areas that clearly are in our interests."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Washington D.C.
(XHTV)