Saudi Arabia: No Israel ties without recognition of independent Palestinian state

Saudi Arabia has clearly communicated to the United States that it will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without substantial progress on the Palestinian issue.

The Kingdom is demanding the recognition of an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Additionally, it has called for an end to Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip and insists on the withdrawal of all Israeli occupation forces from the area as prerequisites for any future diplomatic engagement with Israel.

A statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs highlights that Saudi Arabia's position on the Palestinian issue is steadfast, emphasizing the necessity for the Palestinian people to obtain their legitimate rights.

This stance is particularly relevant in light of ongoing discussions between Saudi Arabia and the US concerning the Arab-Israeli peace process, further underscored by recent comments from the spokesperson for the US National Security Council.

This declaration is a pivotal moment in Middle Eastern politics, signifying Saudi Arabia's firm commitment to the Palestinian cause and setting clear conditions for any normalization of relations with Israel.

The Kingdom underscored that resolving the Palestinian issue is central to achieving lasting peace and stability in the region.

Saudi Arabia has also reaffirmed its appeal to the international community, especially urging the permanent member states of the Security Council that have not yet recognized the Palestinian state, to promptly do so.

The Kingdom advocates for the swift recognition of the Palestinian state within the 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital, aiming to empower the Palestinian people to attain their legitimate rights and to ensure a comprehensive and just peace for all.

Saudi Arabia reiterates preconditions for normalizing relations with Israel

In an interview with the Riyadh-based Arab News, Abdallah Al-Mouallimi, the kingdom’s permanent representative to the UN, said Riyadh is committed to the Arab Initiative for peace, which calls for the end of the Israeli occupation of all Arab territories occupied in 1967 and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital in return of normalizing ties with Israel.

"The official and latest Saudi position is that we are prepared to normalize relations with Israel as soon as Israel implements the elements of the Saudi peace initiative that was presented in 2002," Al-Mouallimi said.

He added that once implementing the initiative, Israel will have recognition "not only from Saudi Arabia but the entire Muslim world, all 57 countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation".

"Time does not change right or wrong. The Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories is wrong no matter how long it lasts," the diplomat said.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move that has never been recognized by the international community.

It may be recalled that when United Arab Emirates (UAE) became the first Gulf state to normalize relations with Israel, in a historic US-brokered accord, it raised the prospect of similar deals with other Arab states including Saudi Arabia.

However, Saudi Arabia declared it will not follow UAE in establishing diplomatic ties with Israel until the Jewish state has signed an internationally recognized peace accord with the Palestinians.

But after days of conspicuous silence and in the face of US pressure to announce a similar deal, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan ruled out the possibility until the Palestinian issue is resolved.

Peace must be achieved with the Palestinians on the basis of international agreements as a pre-condition for any normalization of relations, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told reporters during a visit to Berlin.

“Once that is achieved all things are possible,” he added, in a comment that was consistent with Saudi Arabia's previous stance on the issue.

Prince Faisal's remarks were the kingdom's first official reaction since the UAE's landmark deal with Israel, which was the third such accord the Jewish state has struck with an Arab country after Egypt and Jordan.

Until now, Saudi Arabia had maintained a notable silence over the deal even as local officials hinted that Riyadh was unlikely to immediately follow in the footsteps of the UAE, its principle regional ally.

United States kept pressure on the kingdom, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner had insisted that it would be in Riyadh's interest to formally establish ties with Israel.

Further putting the kingdom in the spotlight, the then Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was working on opening a corridor over Saudi Arabia for flights to the UAE.

Saudi Arabia, the Arab world's biggest economy and home to Islam's holiest sites, faces more sensitive political calculations than the UAE.

Not only would a formal recognition of Israel be seen by Palestinians and their supporters as a betrayal of their cause, it would also hurt the kingdom's image as the leader of the Islamic world.

“The notion that Saudi Arabia will be next in normalizing relations with Israel was far-fetched,” said Aziz Alghashian, a lecturer at Essex University specializing in the kingdom's policy towards Israel.

The biggest constraint for Saudi-Israeli normalization is not the fear of a domestic and regional backlash. “Rather, Saudi Arabia deems it necessary not to normalize relations outside the framework of the Arab Peace Initiative that called for resolving the Palestinian issue, if it still wants to be seen as the leader of the Muslim and Arab world,” Alghashian told AFP.

In 2002, Saudi Arabia sponsored the Arab Peace Initiative which called for Israel's complete withdrawal from the Palestinian territories occupied after the Six-Day War of 1967, in exchange for peace and the full normalization of relations.