The White House confirmed today, Wednesday, that there is no agreed-upon framework for reaching an agreement in which Saudi Arabia would recognize Israel, noting that many discussions must take place before signing such an agreement. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby downplayed a report published by The Wall Street Journal, which stated that the United States and Saudi Arabia had agreed on the outlines. Kirby pointed out that "there is still a lot of discussion that needs to happen here. There is no agreement on a series of negotiations, nor is there an agreed-upon framework for normalization or any of the other security considerations that we have and our friends in the region have."
He also mentioned that President Joe Biden will meet with Netanyahu "somewhere in the United States" later this year. Furthermore, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller indicated that "productive talks" have taken place regarding a potential agreement and that he expects more discussions in the coming weeks. Miller added, "We have made progress on a number of issues. I won't speak about what the progress is, but we still have a long way to go, with an uncertain future." Additionally, Israel's National Security Advisor stated on July 18 that Biden had invited Netanyahu to visit the White House, but U.S. officials have not yet confirmed this.
