Saudi Arabia believes that normalization of relations with Israel is impossible without the creation of an “independent Palestinian state,” stressed the country’s Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, in an interview with CNN in Riyadh.
He noted that the discussion on diplomatic relations with Israel cannot begin until the issues of the “Palestinian state” are resolved, since without this, in his opinion, the security of the entire region will be at risk.
Prince Faisal’s statement reflects the position previously expressed by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Last month he told the Shura Council that the kingdom would not establish diplomatic relations with Israel until the Palestinian Arabs achieved statehood.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden’s administration has made the normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia one of the priorities of its Middle East policy. In 2023, the United States and Saudi Arabia began discussing a bilateral agreement that included elements of a defense partnership that would be possible with the normalization of relations with Israel. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was scheduled to visit Riyadh to continue talks in October, but the visit was interrupted by a Hamas attack on Israel, temporarily paralyzing diplomatic efforts.
Prince Faisal noted that the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia outlined the requirements for establishing diplomatic relations with Israel. For now, Saudi Arabia is willing to bide its time until the situation changes if the issue of Palestinian statehood remains unresolved.
Previously, Kursor wrote that the Saudi ambassador asked the United States to stop supplying weapons to Israel.
