Middle East Monitor / September 6, 2023
The Palestinian Authority has pledged not to publicly reject or undermine Israeli normalization of ties with Saudi Arabia, the Media Line reported on Tuesday. The news website cited a diplomat from the US State Department as saying that the PA will not publicly criticize the normalization with Israel in order to avoid embarrassing Saudi Arabia.
The Biden administration is working closely with Saudi Arabia to reach a normalization deal with the occupation state. The aim is to develop a financial and political package intended to placate the Palestinians and prevent a response similar to that generated by the 2020 Abraham Accords, which established diplomatic ties between Israel, the UAE and Bahrain.
According to the American diplomat, talks are centred around a “generous financial package that will lift the Palestinian economy out of its current state.”
The Media Line reported a PA official as saying: “Saudi Arabia is a huge country with enormous political weight and massive natural resources, and we have no chance standing against it. Therefore, we are requesting inclusion in their negotiations with the Americans.”
Nour Odeh, a former PA official based in Ramallah, told the outlet that “Riyadh will try to buy the consent of the PA” with some economic incentives.
