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Inside Lindsey Graham's final push for Saudi-Israel peace
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Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who died suddenly Saturday, spent his final weeks laying the groundwork for an ambitious new push to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, he told me in multiple conversations over the past several weeks.
Key facts
- Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who died suddenly Saturday, spent his final weeks laying the groundwork for an ambitious new push to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, he told me
- Behind the scenes: Graham told me in recent weeks he had discussed the initiative with Trump, as well as U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, and that they had agreed to pursue it
- Graham believed the effort faced two intertwined political challenges, securing enough votes in Congress and producing an Israeli government willing to meet Saudi Arabia's conditions
- Graham was one of Washington's most influential and energetic foreign policy figures
Summary
Graham was one of Washington's most influential and energetic foreign policy figures. Graham saw Saudi-Israel normalization as the defining prize of a broader postwar settlement in the Middle East, one that could outlast the military campaign against Iran and fundamentally reshape the region. He had worked on the issue for years, including with the Biden administration, and believed the opening created by Iran's weakening could give President Trump a rare chance to broker a historic agreement. Graham's plan was to begin an intensive diplomatic push after Israel's October elections and the U.S. midterms, with the goal of reaching a deal before the new Congress was sworn in in January.