The nominee for the position of U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Kurt Campbell, stated today that there remains a desire among the key players in the talks led by the United States "to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel and to resume this process even after the attack launched by the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on Israel." Campbell added during a session of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to confirm his appointment, "I believe it is understood that some of these discussions can be quiet and difficult at this time."
On another note, Kurt Campbell mentioned that he currently does not support tying U.S. aid to Israel to conditions, amid calls for the United States to use aid as leverage to force Israel to do more to protect civilians in the Gaza conflict. In response to a question from Senator Bob Menendez about whether he would recommend placing conditions on aid to Israel, Campbell replied, "That will not be the case at this time."
