The White House national security adviser is touring the Middle East after Biden warned Israel against “indiscriminate” bombing of Gaza.
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia to discuss the war in Gaza and efforts to create lasting peace between Israel and Palestine.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) hosted Sullivan on Wednesday during his tour of the Middle East to strengthen US influence in the region.
The US official visited Israel on Thursday for talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of the war cabinet as President Joe Biden warned that Israel risks losing international support because of its ” indiscriminate bombing” of civilians in Gaza.
Sullivan and MBS discussed “a number of bilateral and regional issues, including ongoing efforts to create new conditions for lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians,” a White House statement said.
They also discussed the humanitarian response in Gaza, including how to increase the flow of essential aid to the besieged enclave, the statement added.
Earlier, U.S. officials said Sullivan would also discuss with the Saudis efforts to deter Houthi attacks on international commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
Officials from both countries also revisited the possibility of normalizing relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which were disrupted by the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and the subsequent Israeli offensive. All parties have said they want to resurrect the deal when the time comes.
Sullivan and MBS also discussed areas of deepening bilateral cooperation in security, trade, space exploration and advanced technologies, including open radio access networks (O-Ran), the White House said.
US-Israeli relations
Sullivan’s visit to Israel on Thursday comes after Biden’s scathing comments on Tuesday about Israel’s “indiscriminate” bombing of civilians in Gaza.
“(Israel) has the support of most of the world,” Biden told donors at a U.S. political fundraiser. “(But) they are starting to lose that support because of the indiscriminate bombing that is taking place.”
He also said Israel “cannot say no” to a Palestinian state, which Israeli extremists, including in Netanyahu’s government, have opposed.
Tel Aviv Tribune’s Alan Fisher, reporting from occupied East Jerusalem, said Sullivan’s visit to Israel had a number of objectives, including discussing the United Nations General Assembly resolution calling for a cease-fire. fire ; Israel’s attacks on civilians; and provide aid to Gaza, possibly by reopening the Karem Abu Salem crossing between Israel and the Strip.
“There is also the question of what will happen in the aftermath of the war in Gaza,” Fisher said. “Sullivan made it clear that the Palestinian Authority must play some role. Netanyahu tells us it won’t happen, and his communications minister has said there will be no Palestinian state.”
Washington has for weeks been calling on Israel to be more careful to avoid civilian casualties in Gaza, saying too many Palestinians have been killed.
Sullivan will discuss with the Israelis the need to be more precise in their strikes against Hamas targets, spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
More than 18,000 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 50,000 injured in the Israeli attack on Gaza since October 7.
Israel launched its offensive in response to a raid by Hamas fighters from Gaza that killed around 1,100 people in southern Israel.