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Muslim, Jewish Peace? Saudi and Israel think so according to Blinken

Writer's picture: Reginald SpannReginald Spann

Updated: Mar 28, 2024

EGYPT-US-ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN-CONFLICT-DIPLOMACY US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to the media before boarding his plane in Cairo en route to Jordan on October 15, 2023. Blinken said October 15 there was a consensus among the United States' Arab allies to contain the Israel conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Jacquelyn Martin / POOL / AFP) (Photo by JACQUELYN MARTIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
EGYPT-US-ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN-CONFLICT-DIPLOMACY US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks to the media before boarding his plane in Cairo en route to Jordan on October 15, 2023. Blinken said October 15 there was a consensus among the United States' Arab allies to contain the Israel conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Jacquelyn Martin / POOL / AFP) (Photo by JACQUELYN MARTIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

CAIRO (CC) - U.S .Secretary of State Antony Blinken provided good news for Christians who are praying for Arab-Israeli peace when he announced on Thursday that the U.S. and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are making satisfactory progress in talks for normalizing ties with Israel.


President Joe Biden's administration has been pursuing a U.S.-mediated Saudi-Israel accord since the middle of last year, seeking to finalize it as soon as possible before November's general election.


China is now a very credible international mediator within the ambassador community after skillfully brokering a tactful unforeseen detente between Muslim rivals Saudi and Iran in March 2023.


Beijing has also for years sought to solve the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict.


Biden's representatives are likely motivated to finish the deal before China steps in.


"I believe we can reach an agreement which would present a historic opportunity for two nations but also for the region as a whole," Blinken said in Cairo at a joint press conference with Sameh Shoukry, Egypt's Foreign Minister.


In his opening remarks to the press before giving the floor to Blinken, Shoukry discussed the land borders proposed frequently within the community of nations to demarcate Israel and Palestine.


"We hope that we can get over all of this and reach a new phase in the region, away from the conflict and revenge, a phase where the conflict would end on the two-state solution and the establishment of the Palestinian state on the borders of 1967 with Eastern Jerusalem as its capital, and both peoples of Israel and Palestine would enjoy peace and security and cooperation, with more feelings all the peoples of the region will benefit from."


Placing the Palestinian capital in Jerusalem is a difficult arrangement for Jews to accept because for one reason the Holy Bible reads that the Lord God of Israel will put his name there. (1 Kings 11:36)


Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that Israel will never pull back its borders or agree to the return of territory conquered in 1967's Six-Day War: East Jerusalem, the West Bank also known as Judaea and Samaria, the Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights included.


It is unclear now how the U.S. plans to resolve the border issue in its mediation attempts.


Saudi's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman has also called for the establishment of a national Palestine along the 1967 borders.


“The conditions must be created for the return of stability and the achievement of lasting peace that will ensure a just solution to establish a Palestinian state within 1967 borders in order to achieve security and prosperity for all," MBS said in Oct. 2023 during a speech to the joint summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.


As one of the world's elite suppliers of oil, Saudi would be by far the most influential Arab country to forge a diplomatic deal with Israel.


Prophet Muhammad was born in Mecca, Saudi: the holiest city in Islam. It houses the Kaaba and hosts Islam's annual pilgrimage (Hajj).


Millions of Muslims from all over the world travel to Mecca and other Saudi cities. Many adherents eventually relocate to the Kingdom which has become more progressive in recent years.


Saudi would become the fifth Arab League member to sign a normalization agreement with Israel since former President Donald Trump initiated the Abraham Accords in 2020. The Kingdom would be the seventh Arab League state to normalize with Israel.


Plenipotentiaries from the United Arab Emirates, Israel and Bahrain launched the Accords during a White House ceremony on Sept. 15, 2020. Emissaries from Sudan and Morocco only months later announced similar coheres with Israel.


Egypt in 1979 became the first Arab country to recognize Israel, establishing its border with the Jewish state in exchange for Jerusalem withdrawing troops from the Sinai Peninsula.


Jordan in 1994 became the second Arab nation to formally acknowledge Israel and negotiated a geographical border.


Talks that were reportedly near finalization with envoys from Washington, Riyadh and Jerusalem were interrupted by the Hamas-Israel War on October 7, 2023. Negotiations have resumed in recent weeks.


Multiple outlets including The Christian Commander over the last several months have reported that Saudi officials adamantly insist on an independent State of Palestine to be part of the comport.


This would be part of a two-state solution that Israel's President Benjamin Netanyahu has steadfastly rejected, even though he has drawn the ire of several global figures including Biden, Blinken, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.


"We had a very good discussion about the work that we've been doing for many months now on normalization and that work is moving forward. We're continuing to make good progress," Blinken said.


This is an evolving story that The Christian Commander will continue to monitor and report on. Check with us for updates and breaking news.


_________________


Reginald Spann is the Publisher and Senior Content Editor of both The Christian Commander and Seven Angels Sentinel. He has been writing and editing professionally for over 20 years and is the author of the book: The Healing of a Nation.


A graduate of the University of Missouri - St. Louis' college of psychology with a minor in communications, he is a freelance journalist who is available for editing and writing about a variety of content including sports, religion, politics, entertainment and pop culture.


You may contact him through the comments or our Partnership page at christiancommander.com





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Praying for peace throughout the world.

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