Saudi Arabia: No Diplomatic Relations With Israel Without A Palestinian State With The Capital City Of East Jerusalem
JAKARTA - Riyadh authorities on Wednesday confirmed Saudi Arabia would not have diplomatic relations with Israel, without the establishment of an independent Palestinian State.
"The government has communicated its firm position to the US Government, there will be no diplomatic relations with Israel unless the Independent Palestinian State is recognized on the 1967 border, with East Jerusalem as its capital," the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Another requirement is, "Israel's aggression in the Gaza Strip has stalled and all Israeli occupation forces are withdrawing from the Gaza Strip," the ministry continued in a statement.
It is known that most Arab and Islamic countries do not recognize Israel, with the formation of a Palestinian State being the old Saudi Arabian stance.
A few weeks before Hamas launched its offensive to southern Israel on October 7, Riyadh said it was getting closer to normalizing diplomatic relations with the Jewish nation.
Experts say the 'price' Saudi Arabia has asked for in return for normalization will now be higher than before the Gaza war, as Riyadh may feel compelled to get more concessions from the United States and Israel.
It is known that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was traveling to the Middle East this week, started with a visit to Saudi Arabia, met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Blinken said Saudi Arabia still had a "strong desire" to normalize relations with Israel.
On the same day, White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said President Joe Biden's Administration had received a positive response regarding Saudi Arabia's wishes and Israel was willing to continue to conduct normalization discussions.
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The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia issued the statement to assert its firm stance on Washington regarding the Palestinian issue, in connection with comments attributed to Kirby.
Previously, the idea of Israel and Saudi Arabia to formally strengthen relations has been a topic of conversation since Riyadh gave secret approval to neighboring countries in the Gulf, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, which are in a relationship with Israel in 2020.