There is still willingness among the key players of the US-led talks to normalise ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel to restart the process even after the devastating Oct 7 attack by Hamas, US Deputy Secretary of State nominee Kurt Campbell has said, Reuters reports.

“I think we can be carefully encouraged by some of the discussions that we’ve had to date that indicate that there still is a willingness among the key players to restart this process and continue it,” Campbell told senators during his confirmation hearing at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

“I think it is understandable that at this moment, some of those discussions are quiet and they are difficult,” Campbell said, adding that Washington’s ultimate goal would be to “entrench Israel diplomatically” in the region.

Saudi Arabia put US-backed plans to normalize ties with Israel on ice, sources familiar with Riyadh’s thinking told Reuters nearly two months ago.

Until Oct. 7, both Israeli and Saudi leaders had been saying they were moving steadily toward a deal that could have reshaped the Middle East.