Saudi Arabia and its allies are expected to sign an agreement on Tuesday, officially ending its dispute with Qatar, in an agreement negotiated by White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, a government official confirmed on Monday.
The escalation – aimed at isolating Iran – follows a series of historic Middle East peace agreements mediated by the Trump White House in recent months, normalizing relations between Israel and some of its Arab neighbors.
Tuesday’s deal will trigger the end of a four-year blockade of Qatar by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain, which in 2017 accused Qatar’s leaders of supporting terrorism and aligning with Iran.
Kushner helped with the transaction over the past few weeks and flew to Saudi Arabia on Monday to attend the signing of the Gulf Cooperation Council meeting, the official said.
Under the agreement, Saudi Arabia will open its airspace to Qatari planes, provided Qatar Airways waives a $ 5 billion lawsuit against the four nations claiming compensation for the blockade.
The largest US military base in the region is located in Qatar, where it can carry out airstrikes against the Islamic State and the Taliban, making Washington the victim of the blockade.
Qatar has been forced to redirect its air traffic over Iran, consolidating Tehran, which is earning extra revenue by leasing its airspace to Qatar, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday.
The oil-rich Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its allies launched a diplomatic siege against the smaller Arab kingdom in June 2017 and issued a list of 17 demands, including closing the Al Jazeera news network and downgrading relations with Turkey and Iran.
Kushner, 39, developed a close relationship with the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, 35, and visited Riyadh in November in an attempt to end the blockade.