Blinken unsure Israel will make compromises for Saudi normalisation deal

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday he was unsure that Israel was ready to make compromises to reach a deal to normalise relations with Saudi Arabia.

Blinken said the Biden administration was uncertain whether Israel would agree to the creation of a Palestinian state in exchange for normalisation with Saudi Arabia. Israel has publicly and consistently rejected a two-state solution to its conflict with Palestine.

"I can't tell you whether Israel - whether it's the prime minister or the country as a whole - is prepared to do in this moment what would be necessary to actually realise normalisation,” Blinken told a Senate committee.

"Because that requires an end to [the war in] Gaza and that requires a credible pathway to a Palestinian state.”