The American "NBC News" network revealed that US Senator Lindsey Graham held a series of "high-stakes" meetings with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, with the aim of reviving the possibility of reaching an agreement between the Kingdom, Israel and the United States to formulate a framework to end the war on Gaza, and achieve stabilization in the Middle East, and paving the way for a form of Palestinian autonomy in the Gaza Strip.

In a lengthy report, published Thursday, NBC News indicated that Graham arrived in Saudi Arabia 11 days ago, to hold a meeting in a huge tent in Al-Ula, in the west of the Kingdom. Graham visited Saudi Arabia three times during the past 12 months, and preceded his last visit to Saudi Arabia by visiting Israel with the aim of discussing the agreement, where he held a closed meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on January 4.

The network quoted Saudi, American and Israeli officials as saying that the discussions in Saudi Arabia revolve around a framework for the reconstruction of Gaza with the support of Arab countries, and the formation of a “moderate Palestinian leadership in Gaza.” In addition to ratifying a defense treaty between the United States and Saudi Arabia that would provide an alliance against Iran, they pointed out that Saudi Arabia insists that any plan include a realistic path to the establishment of a Palestinian state.

The network asked whether the Israeli government would accept the establishment of a Palestinian state in exchange for a peace treaty supported by the United States and Saudi Arabia.

A possible political victory for Netanyahu

According to six people familiar with the talks, as quoted by NBC News, normalization with Saudi Arabia would be seen as a potential political win for Netanyahu, even though the Israeli prime minister and hard-line members of his right-wing coalition have publicly rejected the idea of establishing a state for Palestinians.

In this context, Nadav Eyal, a columnist for the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, said that any normalization agreement with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the present time “would be a major victory for Netanyahu politically and an exit strategy.”

An advisor to one of the members of the Israeli War Council, who requested to remain anonymous, said, “If the Saudis reach a good deal for Israel, of course we will vote in its favor.” But the advisor, along with other Israeli officials, warned in their interview with “NBC News” that the American move was a precedent. It is too early, indicating that the Israeli public is not ready to discuss this, in the wake of the attack launched by Hamas on Israel.

A senior Israeli government official considered that "the issue of the Palestinian state is too sensitive to be discussed in Israel at the present time... People are talking about war and hostages, not rewarding the Palestinians. It is also unclear when and how the war will end."

American efforts to reach an agreement with Saudi Arabia and Israel aim to build on the Abraham Accords, which established relations between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan in 2020.

Israeli and American officials familiar with the deal said that there are efforts to achieve the agreement while President Joe Biden is in office to secure Democratic votes for the US-Saudi agreement, pointing out that Graham will be able to obtain Republican votes to reach the 67 votes needed to ratify it in the Senate.

Israel's vision for the "day after"

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has so far taken a hardline stance publicly regarding the war. After his meeting with Graham, he reiterated Israel's war goals of destroying Hamas, freeing the hostages, and ensuring "Gaza never becomes a threat again." Netanyahu did not address the political situation in Gaza after the war.

Daniel Silverberg, a senior research associate at the Center for a New American Security, expressed his frustration with Netanyahu, saying: “From an American perspective, Bibi’s (Netanyahu) position is really frustrating.” “Bibi continues to say publicly and privately: My hands are tied and my coalition will collapse if I do anything pro-Palestinian Authority or tighten restrictions on settlers.”

The right wing of Netanyahu's coalition government remains strongly opposed to any discussion of establishing a Palestinian state. Many Likud members went beyond Netanyahu's speech.

Silverberg also questioned how realistic it was to expect Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states to participate in rebuilding Gaza.

Despite all the challenges, the agreement between the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Israel could be part of an exit strategy for the politically beleaguered Netanyahu.

A former Israeli security official said: “It is the only exit strategy that has political appeal for Bibi... and it is not clear whether that is possible.”