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Israeli-Saudi normalization efforts top Ronen Levy's agenda in Washington

An Israeli diplomatic source told Al-Monitor on Tuesday that "the key to an Israeli-Saudi agreement lies in Washington... it is on President Biden's desk and not buried deep in a side drawer.”
S President Joe Biden (3-L) takes part in a working session with the Saudi crown prince (not pictured) at the Al-Salam Royal Palace in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah, on July 15, 2022. - US President Joe Biden landed in Saudi Arabia, sealing a retreat from his campaign pledge to turn the kingdom into a "pariah" over its human rights record (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

The director general of Israel’s Foreign Ministry, Ronen Levy, met on Wednesday in Washington with senior Biden administration officials, in an effort to expand the Abraham Accords regional peace circle to Saudi Arabia and possibly other nations.

Levy's visit, which started on Tuesday, included meetings at the White House, State Department and Congress.

‘’A very productive discussion at the State Department with [presidential envoy on energy security] Amos Hochstein and at the National Security Council with [Deputy National security Adviser] Jon Finer, [White House Middle East Coordinator] Brett McGurk and [White House senior director on Africa] Judd Devermont,’’ tweeted Levy after his Washington meetings.

McGurk-Hochstein diplomacy

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