Middle East Monitor / September 20, 2023
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman is said to be “upset” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s Channel 12 TV reported on Tuesday. This is believed to be the reason why normalization talks have apparently been put on hold.
Citing senior Saudi officials, the report claimed that Riyadh will not accept normalization of ties with Israel without the creation of an independent Palestinian state. The officials stressed that Saudi Arabia will not sign an unconditional normalization deal, pointing out that Netanyahu is not ready to make any concessions to the Palestinians.
According to Channel 12, the Saudi officials added that the Kingdom “is not interested to talk with the current extremist Israeli government.”
It was reported on Monday that Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal Bin Farhan said that the only way to solve the Israel-Palestine conflict is via an independent Palestinian state.
“There is no way to resolve the conflict other than by ensuring the establishment of an independent Palestinian state,” insisted Bin Farhan. “People have begun to lose hope in the two-state solution. The plan must return to the forefront.”
Channel 12 also reported the Saudi officials as saying that the major conditions for the Kingdom to sign a normalization deal with the occupation state are allowing the enrichment of uranium in Saudi Arabia; creating an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel in occupied Palestine; and maintaining the status quo in occupied Jerusalem.
Israel has been reported as “sweating” over the price of normalization with Saudi Arabia. The possibility of the Kingdom having its own nuclear program, even for civilian purposes, is extremely worrying for the apartheid state.
