Saudi prince rules out Israel ties without Palestinian state

Published September 19, 2024
Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken — Reuters File Photo
Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken — Reuters File Photo

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler said on Wednesday that the kingdom will not establish ties with Israel until a Palestinian state has been created, in a blow to US efforts to seal a normalisation deal.

“We renew the kingdom’s rejection and strong condemnation of the crimes of the Israeli occupation authority against the Palestinian people,” Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told the opening session of its advisory Shura Council.

“The kingdom will not cease its tireless efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital, and we affirm that the kingdom will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without one,” he added.

Normalisation deals brokered by then US president Donald Trump in 2020 between Israel and Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates had ended a longstanding Arab consensus that there should be no normalisation without an independent Palestinian state and thrown the spotlight on their more powerful neighbour Saudi Arabia.

As recently as earlier this month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had been holding out the prospect of the swift establishment of ties with the Gulf Arab oil kingpin as a potential dividend for Israel from a ceasefire and prisoner release deal for Gaza.

Blinken had said during a visit to Haiti on Sept 6 that he still hoped to seal a normalisation deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia before President Joe Biden steps down in January. “I think if we can get a ceasefire in Gaza, there remains an opportunity through the balance of this administration to move forward on normalisation,” the US top diplomat said.

The United States has readied a security package to offer Saudi Arabia if it normalises relations with Israel, Blinken said earlier this year, as it seeks incentives for Israel to support a Palestinian state.

As part of any deal, Riyadh is expected to insist on a path to statehood for the Palestinians as well as alliance-style security guarantees from Washington. “In order to move forward with normalisation, two things will be required — calm in Gaza and a credible pathway to a Palestinian state,” Blinken told a meeting of the World Economic Forum in Riyadh.

But the hard-right Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains implacably opposed to Palestinian statehood.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2024

Opinion

Annexing Palestine

Annexing Palestine

Annexation would reveal the pious incantations of Western politicians for what they are — impotent drivel at best, and cynical cant at worst.

Editorial

Ill omens
Updated 12 Feb, 2025

Ill omens

One wonders whether institutional leadership realises the long-term ramifications of the ongoing "remaking" of judiciary.
Sunken dreams
12 Feb, 2025

Sunken dreams

ANOTHER tragedy has struck Pakistani migrants seeking a better future. A boat capsizing off the Libyan coast has ...
Hate in India
12 Feb, 2025

Hate in India

HISTORY shows that rulers use hate speech to provoke hate crimes and ‘othering’ among communities. Indian Prime...
IMF scrutiny
Updated 11 Feb, 2025

IMF scrutiny

Strengthening foundations of the economic superstructure will help make the economy competitive and boost growth.
Shadow voices
11 Feb, 2025

Shadow voices

OVER the weekend, another ‘open letter’ addressed to the army chief and attributed to former prime minister ...
Paradise at a premium
11 Feb, 2025

Paradise at a premium

PAKISTAN’S recent triumph at the New York Travel and Adventure Show 2025, winning the Best Partner Pavilion Award,...