Saudi Arabia has informed the United States that it will not have any diplomatic relations with Israel until it recognizes Palestine as an independent state. This was said in a statement issued by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday.
Earlier on Tuesday, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kerby said that they have learned that Saudi Arabia and Israel are interested in continuing talks to normalize relations.
Then the Saudi Foreign Ministry made this statement. It is said that this statement was made to clarify Washington's firm position on Palestine in view of Karbi's statement.
According to the statement, Palestine should be recognized as an independent state according to the 1967 borders including East Jerusalem. And Israel's "aggression" in the Gaza Strip must stop.
In 2020, Saudi Arabia tacitly agreed to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain establishing ties with Israel. After this, discussions started regarding the establishment of Israel's relationship with Saudi Arabia.
A source close to Saudi Arabia's policymaking told Reuters in October last year that Saudi Arabia is not currently considering US-backed plans to normalize relations with Israel. The status quo has been created around the ongoing war between Palestine and Israel.
Meanwhile, according to an AFP report, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken also spoke about Saudi-Israeli relations yesterday. Blinken said the Saudi crown prince reiterated his interest in relations with Israel. But he wants an end to the war in Gaza.
Blinken had a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last Monday.
The US Secretary of State said, "The Crown Prince reiterated Saudi Arabia's great interest in specifically normalizing relations." But he also made it clear, as he had told me before, that two things were necessary to do that. That is, setting a transparent, credible and time-bound process for the resolution of the conflict in Gaza and the creation of a Palestinian state.
Saudi Arabia has never recognized Israel. The country has also not joined the US-led Abraham Accords in 2020. Under this agreement, Gulf neighboring countries including Morocco, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have established formal relations with Israel.
US President Joe Biden's administration is making strong efforts to bring Saudi Arabia into line.
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the son of Saudi King Salman, is believed to be the one who basically runs the governance of Saudi Arabia from behind. Under his leadership, conditions have been set by Riyadh to normalize relations with Israel.
These include providing Washington with security assurances and cooperation on civilian nuclear programs. However, a related source told AFP that Saudi Arabia has stopped the process since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip on October 7.
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