TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel has been talking to the US and Gulf Arab countries about how it could normalize diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia but realizes any progress is likely to be slow, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said on Monday.
“We are working on it with the Americans, with some of our friends in the Gulf, in all kinds of ways,” Lapid said in an interview with army radio, when asked about reports Israel would discuss normalization during a planned visit by U.S. President Joe Biden to Israel and the region next month.
But forging full diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia would be a “long, slow process” that will take time to be achieved, he added. Biden’s upcoming visit to Israel is currently planned for the end of June, Lapid said, adding that the details were still being finalized.
