US Envoy Witkoff says Saudi-Israeli normalization would bring end of regional war

U.S. Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff was interviewed on Wednesday by Fox News about the potential expansion of the Abraham Accords and the recent ceasefire and hostage release deal.

Witkoff addressed the possibility of Arab nations like Saudi Arabia joining an alliance with Israel: “Normalization is an amazing opportunity for the region. It’s basically the beginning of the end of war.”

He noted that other countries like Qatar could join the Abraham Accords if the Saudis lead the way. “First, we needed the hopeful moment, and I’d like to think that we’ve achieved that, and we’ll build on that. Then on top of that, we needed to show people that we could stop the violence and that we could have conversation and dialogue.”

Witkoff also said he would be traveling to the Middle East as part of an inspection team deployed to the Gaza Strip to ensure cease-fire compliance.

While acknowledging that much of the framework for the hostage release and ceasefire were negotiated in May by the Biden administration, Witkoff stated the new Trump administration had been essential in closing the deal. “Our job was to speed up the process because it felt like it had bogged down… It doesn’t happen without the president,” he said.

Witkoff attended Donald Trump’s Inauguration ceremony and festivities, and was seen greeting outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden. When asked about their conversation, he said that he thanked Biden for including him in the process of completing the hostage deal, and that Biden thanked him in return.

When asked about his level of optimism for peace in the region, he said, “Hopefully everything over there can be settled in that way [normalization]. If it’s possible, everyone will become a believer.” 

Addressing which countries he is referring to, his response was “I think you could get everyone on board in that region. There’s a new sense of leadership over there.” 

He included that a precondition to expanding the Abraham Accords has been a ceasefire in Gaza.