Blinken briefs Bibi on talks with MBS about possible Israel

Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on June 7.

Secretary of State Tony Blinken called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday and briefed him on his talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS), including the possibility of Saudi Arabia normalizing relations with Israel, according to a source familiar with the call.

Why it matters: The Biden administration wants to try and make a diplomatic push for a Saudi-Israeli peace deal in the next six to seven months before the presidential election campaign consumes President Biden's agenda, as Axios reported two weeks ago.

Driving the news: Blinken met MBS on Tuesday night for more than two hours. A senior U.S. official said possible Israel-Saudi normalization was one of the issues discussed in the meeting.

What they're saying: At a press conference with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud on Thursday, Blinken said the U.S. "will continue to play an integral role in deepening and expanding normalization" between Israel and the Arab world.

Between the lines: The use of the term "pathway" by the Saudi foreign minister was a slight change from the position the Saudis expressed in the past when they demanded the establishment of a Palestinian state as a condition for normalization with Israel.

The big picture: The Israeli readout of the call between Blinken and Netanyahu didn't mention Saudi Arabia, but focused on Israel's concerns regarding a possible "freeze for freeze" agreement between the U.S. and Iran.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement that Blinken and Netanyahu "discussed areas of mutual interest, including expanding and deepening Israel's integration into the Middle East through normalization with countries in the region."