A ticking clock on the Saudi-US defense pact? US Senator Lindsey Graham has called for Saudi Arabia and Israel to normalize relations — a condition of the US defense pact with the Kingdom — before year-end, cautioning that future US administrations may struggle to secure the necessary Senate support for such an agreement, according to Reuters. Graham met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, and plans to visit Saudi Arabia and the UAE to further discuss normalization.

REFRESHER- The agreement would see Washington provide security assurances to Riyadh, along with cooperation on the development of a domestic nuclear power industry, as well as on artificial intelligence and other technologies. Saudi has been adamant in its stance that there would be no normalization with Israel without a credible pathway to a Palestinian state.

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