Saudi Crown Prince Reaffirms No Diplomatic Ties with Israel Without Palestinian State
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke on Wednesday and revealed that Saudi Arabia will not accept Israel without Palestine. He referred to the recent actions of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian citizens.
“The kingdom will continue this process to achieve an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem East as its capital,” MbS said, adding that “no diplomatic relations will be established with Israel without this condition.”
This move came after Saudi Arabia halted, and the US promoted a plan to end the animosity between the Arab nations and Israel after a conflict between Israel and Hamas, the group that controls Gaza, started in October. Organ insiders near Riyadh also explained that the escalating hostilities brought a new focus.
As recently as several weeks before the fighting started, MbS had suggested that the talks with Israel were advancing, which was regarded as a step towards achieving the ultimate Riyadh dream – an alliance with the United States for defence cooperation. However, this conflict has forced a halt to these normalisation efforts, two sources told Reuters earlier this year.
The crown prince said this in his annual address to the Shura Council, an important consultative assembly in Saudi Arabia, on behalf of his father, King Salman. Before MbS’s speech, the council recite their oath of office.
Saudi regional policy supports the historical Saudi position on the Palestinian issue – Riyadh can declare its peace initiative while emphasising the kingdom’s insistence on the recognition of the Palestinian state as the first step on the way to normalisation of relations with the Israelis.
It redlines Saudi Arabia’s position supporting the Palestinian people. It asserts a clear message from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia remains consistent in its need for conditions that any peace agreement in the Middle East must meet.
The kingdom has also supported the Arab Peace Initiative, which seeks to grant the existence of Israel on the basis that the lands of Palestine, with Jerusalem being its eastern part, are recognised. When he repeated this position, MbS not only saved Saudi Arabia from being accused of directly normalising relations with Israel but also reasserted the government’s position as a supporter of the Palestinian cause amid rising tensions across the region and negotiations between Arab countries and Israel.
Moreover, this statement of MbS is being said at a sensitive time when the relations within the Middle East are evolving, and several countries are reviewing their recognition of Israel. His call for a Palestinian state is also consistent with the desire of KSA in the ongoing geopolitical politics where it wants to have a good working relationship with the West, particularly the U. S, while at the same time asserting its control over the Arabs.
The slow progress in normalisation with Israel also comes from KSA’s strategic planning that every political engagement should be in line with the kingdom’s strategic interests, including the Palestinian cause for a just and stable Middle East.
