Blinken: The US and Saudi Arabia are very close to an agreement on military cooperation

"The US and Saudi Arabia are very close to nuclear, security and defense cooperation agreements." 
This was stated by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. He described the agreements as a bilateral component of a broader deal to normalize relations between Riyadh and Israel, the Jerusalem Post reported. 
During a House hearing, Blinken said the agreements "could be weeks away" from being finalized. The top diplomat warned that in order for broader normalization to proceed, there must be calm in Gaza and a path to Palestinian statehood must be formulated. 
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected the creation of a Palestinian state, which is the main reason why Washington's vision of a "grand deal" for the Middle East remains unattainable./BGNES