Yet neither Saudi Arabia nor Israel appears to be showing much urgency in getting the deal done, while the Biden administration has made it a clear priority.
The main advantage the triangular deal offers the United States is a tightened grip over three vitally important waterways around the Arabian Peninsula: the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The Suez Canal, which links the Red and Mediterranean Seas and connects Asia, Africa and Europe, is just as significant.
At the other end of the Red Sea, a third key passageway, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, controls the entrance into the Red Sea leading to the Suez Canal and is similarly significant to global trade.
It’s no accident that the only overseas Chinese military base is in Djibouti, just 68 miles from Bab el-Mandeb, or that Beijing invested billions of dollars in that country.
Persons:
Biden, Bab
Organizations:
Beijing
Locations:
Saudi Arabia, Israel, Washington, United States, Hormuz, Suez, Mandeb, China, Asia, Africa, Europe, Djibouti, Bab el