Saudi Arabia and its allies are expected to sign an agreement on Tuesday that will officially end their feud with Qatar in an agreement negotiated by White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, a government official confirmed on Monday.
The move – designed to further isolate Iran – follows a string of historic Middle East peace deals mediated by the Trump White House in recent months that normalize relations between Israel and some of its Arab neighbors.
Tuesday’s agreement will set in motion the end of a four-year-old blockade of Qatar by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain, which in 2017 accused Qatar leaders of supporting terrorism and themselves with Iran has committed.
Kushner has been helping to mediate the deal for the past few weeks and flew to Saudi Arabia on Monday to see the signing at the Gulf Cooperation Council meeting, the official said.
Under the agreement, Saudi Arabia will open its airspace to Qatari aircraft on condition that Qatar Airways drop a $ 5 billion lawsuit against the four countries seeking damages for the blockade.
The United States’ largest military base in the region is in Qatar, where it is capable of carrying out airstrikes on the Islamic State and Taliban, making Washington a victim of the blockade.
Qatar was forced to divert its air traffic over Iran, strengthening Tehran, which earns extra revenue by leasing its airspace to Qatar, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.
The oil-rich kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its allies launched a diplomatic siege against the smaller Arab kingdom in June 2017, issuing a list of 17 demands, including the cessation of the Al Jazeera news network and the downgrading of relations with Turkey and Iran.
Kushner, 39, developed a close relationship with Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, 35, and visited Riyadh in November in an effort to end the blockade.