Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Washington, Rima Bint Bandar Al-Saud, says normalization with Israel will only be possible if there is a ceasefire in Gaza and a process is initiated to create a clear path to a Palestinian state.
The princess made these remarks during a round table organized as part of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
“I think the most important thing to understand is that the kingdom has not put normalization at the center of its policy. He placed peace and prosperity at the center of his policies,” he says.
“The reign was very clear. As long as there is violence on the ground and the killings continue, there will be no question of tomorrow. »
Princess Rima explains the Saudi position by saying that “serenity must prevail”.
“There is trauma and pain on both sides. I can’t go back. But what we can do is cease fire now. »
Princess Rima says she is “deeply concerned” about an escalation that could take the region “back to the Stone Age”.
His comments only confirm reports published last week that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman indicated to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Riyadh was still interested in normalizing ties with Israel, but that this would be subject to measures taken by Israel aimed at the possible creation of a Palestinian state.
Blinken presented the proposal to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who rejected it.
Saudi Arabia has never recognized Israel and did not join the 2020 Abraham Accords which saw its Gulf neighbors Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, as well as Morocco, establish official relations with Israel.
The American administration, on the initiative of these agreements, then encouraged Saudi Arabia to join them.
“Every day we get closer” to a deal with Israel, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s leader, said in September Indeed of the kingdom, in an interview with the American Fox News channel.
However, he insisted that the Palestinian issue remains “very important” for his country.
Earlier this week, also in Davos, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said that Riyadh remains open to the possibility of establishing ties with Israel, while underlining the need for a ceasefire and the creation of a Palestinian state.
2024-01-18 22:25:00
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