Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) died suddenly on Saturday evening, with initial reports from medical examiners indicating he suffered an aortic dissection. Graham’s family has a history of heart issues, as his father, Florence died from a heart attack at age 68. Nonetheless, Graham was reportedly feeling unwell hours before his death, although he was still working on major American foreign policy initiatives, including the Saudi-Israeli peace deal.
Normalizing those relations remained at the top of his to-do list. He spoke with President Trump, briefing him on his recent trip to Ukraine and the details of a Russian sanctions bill. He also discussed how to get the SAVE America Act through Congress. After admitting he wasn't feeling well, an aide urged Graham to seek medical attention, but he wanted to wait until after his Sunday Meet the Press appearance.
“I can't die now. I still need to do the Russia sanctions, get Iran sorted out and do Israeli-Saudi normalization,” Graham joked. He passed away hours later.
Normalized Saudi Arabia-Israel relations were the prize, but the obstacle here is that Riyadh wants a timetable for a Palestinian state, something that’s anathema to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Still, Graham was reportedly going to tell the Israelis who were scheduled to visit DC in the coming weeks that this should be the direction. On the flip side, ratifying a US-Saudi defense treaty was another milestone toward this foreign policy goal (via Axios):
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who died suddenly Saturday, spent his final weeks laying the groundwork for an ambitious new push to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, he told me in multiple conversations over the past several weeks.
Why it matters: Graham was one of Washington's most influential and energetic foreign policy figures. He spent decades trying to shape America's role in the world and was still pursuing some of his biggest diplomatic ambitions in the final hours of his life.
Zoom in: Graham saw Saudi-Israel normalization as the defining prize of a broader postwar settlement in the Middle East — one that could outlast the military campaign against Iran and fundamentally reshape the region.
[…]
A week later, Trump told the leaders of several Arab and Muslim countries during a conference call that he wanted them to establish relations with Israel if an agreement could be reached to end the war with Iran. His primary focus was Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had previously shown a willingness to normalize relations with Israel, though his enthusiasm had cooled over the past year.
Saudi officials continued to insist that any deal must include an irreversible, time-bound path toward the creation of a Palestinian state.
[…]
Winning enough Democratic votes would require the deal [US-Saudi defense treaty] to include meaningful progress on the Palestinian issue — including an Israeli commitment to a future Palestinian state and concrete steps toward that goal.
That created a parallel challenge in Israel: ensuring that the government formed after the October election was willing and politically capable of making those commitments.
Graham told me he intended to work with Trump and his team to make clear to Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders that Washington expected the next government to move in that direction — and to press it hard to do so.
The final hours: Graham spoke with Trump by phone Saturday night and briefed him on his recent trip to Ukraine and the Russia sanctions bill he wanted the Senate to vote on soon.
Trump told Graham he was preparing to launch fresh strikes against Iran after another attack on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
A person who spoke with Graham shortly afterward said the senator complained that he was feeling unwell. When the person urged him to seek medical attention immediately, Graham said he would do so Sunday morning after his scheduled appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press."
Graham was an effective senator and an essential guide for legislation like this through the treacherous procedural waters that have sunk many bills.
