Saudi FM: Palestinian cause resolution prerequisite for normalization

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
22 Jan 2024 09:41
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Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud says stability is necessary to reap the benefits of normalizing ties with "Israel", and for stability to ensue, the Palestinian issue must be resolved.

Kingdom of Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud attends a session at the World Economic Forum, Davos, Switzerland, January 17, 2023. (AFP)

Resolving the Palestinian issue is a prerequisite to normalizing ties with "Israel" according to Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, who spoke to CNN on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum held last week in Davos, Switzerland.

When CNN's Fareed Zakaria asked whether Riyadh would refuse to normalize ties without a "credible and irreversible Palestinian state, the Foreign Minister answered, "That's the only way we're going to get the benefit...So, yes, because we need stability, and only stability will come through resolving the Palestinian issue."

During the annual World Economic Forum held in #Davos, Switzerland, #Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan said that the Kingdom would "certainly" recognize "Israel" as a part of a wider agreement.

The statement comes as the Israeli occupation has killed more than 24,200… pic.twitter.com/Iuhis8mwed
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) January 16, 2024

Moreover, Al Saud underscored that the war in the Gaza Strip "has to stop."

"What we are seeing is the Israelis are crushing Gaza, the civilian population of Gaza," he said adding "This is completely unnecessary, completely unacceptable and has to stop."

Earlier, but also during the WEF in Davos, the Saudi Ambassador to Washington, Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, stated that her country is unable to pursue discussions regarding a potential normalization agreement with "Israel" before a ceasefire in Gaza comes into force.

"While there is violence on the ground and the killing persists, we cannot talk about the next day," she said.

The Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the UK said, on January 9, that a normalization agreement was on the verge of completion when the kingdom suspended US-brokered talks after the Palestinian Resistance launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.

US rushes post-war plans without Netanyahu, pushes for normalization

The United States has unilaterally initiated envisioned plans with Arab governments for the "next day" after the war on Gaza, as Washington concluded that the Israeli war objectives regarding "eliminating" the Palestinian Resistance faction Hamas through military means are unattainable, NBC News reported on Wednesday citing US officials.

This conclusion comes after the aggression on the Strip crossed its 100-day mark this week, with the occupation entity still far from reaching its announced military goals, prompting senior Israeli political and military figures to express concern over the "fate of Israel" when things go downhill.

Additionally, global public and political pressure has been heavily mounting on the United States for supporting and aiding the Israeli ongoing genocide in Gaza.

White House officials told the network that Washington today is looking past Netanyahu to try and achieve its regional interests, with one of them telling the outlet that the Prime Minister “will not be there forever.”

During his last visit to the occupation entity, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed with Netanyahu a proposal being formulated by Washington, which sees some Arab countries reconstructing Gaza and normalizing ties with "Israel" in return for strengthening the Palestinian Authority to govern the Strip and initiating plans for a Palestinian State.

But US officials told the news outlet that the Prime Minister refused the proposal.