Netanyahu: KSA has lots of land, let it create Palestinian state
3 Min Read
While the Israeli PM believes normalization with Saudi Arabia is achievable, Saudi Arabia continues to demand a Palestinian State as a condition for normalization
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference with President Donald Trump in the East Room of the White House, on Tuesday, February 4, 2025. (AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said Saudi Arabia could take forcibly displaced Palestinians in and create a Palestinian state on Saudi land in an interview with Channel 14 conducted during his Washington visit.
During their meeting, which was preceded by a press conference, Netanyahu and Trump reportedly discussed normalization with Saudi Arabia, and the Israeli PM said that normalization with Riyadh is not only feasible, but he "thinks it's going to happen."
#Statement | The Foreign Ministry affirms that Saudi Arabia’s position on the establishment of a Palestinian state is firm and unwavering. HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister clearly and unequivocally reaffirmed this stance. pic.twitter.com/0uuoq8h12I
— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) February 5, 2025
Netanyahu emphasized during his Channel 14 interview that he would not sign an agreement with Saudi Arabia that would endanger the occupation, "Especially not a Palestinian state. After October 7? Do you know what that is? There was a Palestinian state, it was called Gaza. Gaza, led by Hamas, was a Palestinian state, and look what we got – the biggest massacre since the Holocaust."
"The Saudis can create a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia; they have a lot of land over there," he said.
Israeli officials, on the other hand, are worried Netanyahu could be willing to concede the West Bank in favor of a peace deal with Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia responded to Netanyahu's statements following his presser with Trump saying it would not consider normalization with "Israel" without a Palestinian state, adding in a Foreign Ministry statement that this position is unwavering released shortly after the Trump-Netanyahu conference.
Normalization between Saudi Arabia and 'Israel'
Before Al Aqsa Flood, "Israel" and Saudi Arabia were slowly inching toward a normalization deal under US incentives for Riyadh including economic investments and security guarantees, with the establishment of a Palestinian State being an important part of any deal that could be made.
However, Saudi Arabia stopped discussing normalization talks with "Israel" on October 14, 2023, but the Saudi Investment Minister said that talks remain on the table. By October 2024, a report by CNN said that the normalization deal that was close became far out of reach.
At the same time, the Saudi Foreign Minister said that normalization between Saudi Arabia and "Israel" is not an option until the "two-state solution" is realized and a Palestinian state is established. Similarly, the Saudi ambassador to Washington emphasized that Riyadh is open to future ties with "Israel" but insists on a ceasefire and the establishment of a Palestinian state first.
