Middle East Monitor / November 1, 2021
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said on Sunday that the creation of a Palestinian state is the Kingdom’s precondition for normalization of ties with Israel. Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al-Saud told Al-Hadath news channel that the Palestinian state should have East Jerusalem as its capital.
Despite its support for the Abraham Accords, which saw four Arab countries normalizing ties with Israel last year, Saudi Arabia has said repeatedly that a Palestinian state must come before it makes such a move.
Bin Farhan told the Washington Institute for Near East Policy last year that normalization with Israel will take place eventually. “But we also need to have a Palestinian state and we need to have a Palestinian and Israeli peace plan.”
Israeli media, meanwhile, are reporting that the US administration of President Joe Biden is discussing the issue with Saudi Arabia. According to Ynet News, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan spoke about it with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman during his visit to Riyadh last month.
Bin Salman apparently did not reject a proposal to normalize ties with Israel, but listed the steps needed to make the move. These include an improvement in relations between Washington and Riyadh.
