Saudi Arabia says it will not normalise relations with Israel without ‘credible, irreversible track’ to creation of Palestinian state

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has said his country will not normalise relations with Israel without a “credible, irreversible track” to the creation of a Palestinian state.

Speaking to CNN on Sunday, he said: “We need stability, and stability will only come through resolving the Palestinian issue.”

The prince expressed concern over the Yemeni disruption of maritime traffic through the Red Sea and escalating missile exchanges between Lebanon’s Hizbullah and Israel, but said: “The key to de-escalation is ending the conflict in Gaza.”

He accused the Israelis of crushing the civilians in Gaza rather than crushing Hamas. .

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“I don’t see any clear direction [for the crisis], [there is] no clear strategy. This is very dangerous,” the prince said. “We are seeing extraordinary levels of [popular] anger and upset because of the images of civilians being killed in Gaza.”

He dismissed the deployment of an Arab force to stabilise Gaza, saying: “It is well within the capacity of the Palestinian Authority to take this responsibility.” He said Saudi Arabia would not fund Gaza’s reconstruction if there is a return to the pre-war status quo involving warfare every one or two years.

Before the Gaza war erupted US president Joe Biden’s administration had sought Saudi normalisation with Israel in exchange for US security guarantees, aid in establishing a civilian nuclear programme, and progress toward the resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

The prince effectively dismissed this scenario. He urged Mr Biden to press Israel for an immediate ceasefire to prevent regional escalation instead of focusing on plans for a post-war scenario before the war ends. While Saudi Arabia and the US agree on the Palestinian Authority’s return to Gaza, Riyadh had made it clear there will be no Arab forces in Gaza or finance for Gaza’s reconstruction until further wars are ruled out.

Three decades of international efforts have failed to achieve the two-state solution, and the Saudis appear unconvinced by the US call for a undefined “pathway” to a Palestinian state unless its emergence is guaranteed.

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