The story: The Joe Biden administration is reportedly stepping up its efforts to facilitate Israeli-Saudi normalization. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has led a delegation to the Kingdom for talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud (MbS) on the prospect of establishing relations with Israel. But despite these efforts, Gulf Arab analysts and media maintain skepticism over normalization in the near term.

The coverage: The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on July 27 that MbS had received Sullivan and his team in Jeddah.

• The SPA readout stated that the Saudi crown prince and the visiting US delegation reviewed bilateral relations.
  
  
• On the same day, a column by Thomas Friedman in the New York Times speculated that Sullivan was in Saudi Arabia to “explore” Israeli-Saudi normalization. Friedman suggested that the Kingdom seeks “a NATO-level mutual security treaty” from the US among other major perks in exchange for...