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Former U.S. Middle East Envoy Greenblatt Doesn't Anticipate Early Israeli-Saudi Normalization
(Times of Israel) Lazar Berman - Former U.S. Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt, now a senior director at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, isn't optimistic about Riyadh normalizing its relations with Israel anytime soon. "I think Saudi Arabia itself is busy with its own things, right? The amount of projects and social change and other changes that they're doing in their country is mind-boggling. I go back there quite often and with each visit I'm surprised. So while the Abraham Accords would be nice for the kingdom, I don't think it's their priority at the moment." Mohammed bin Salman, the country's de facto leader, "is certainly a courageous and creative leader, and he might pull it off, but I don't think it's in the top list of things that the Saudis need to get done or want to get done in the next year." With regard to the Palestinians, Greenblatt said, "I'm happy to see that the Biden administration does not believe that this is the time to try to push a peace effort with the Palestinians. I fully agree with him on that." But he criticized the Biden administration's decision to restore funding for the Palestinian Authority. "Handing out U.S. taxpayer money like it's candy for the Palestinians is neither good for the Palestinian people, nor good to develop any form of potential for peace down the road."