Saudi Arabia reiterated its position that the kingdom will not formalize relations with Israel without a pathway to a Palestinian state, asserting that some deals it is negotiating with the United States are “not that connected” to Washington’s normalization drive.
Riyadh is “quite happy” to wait until the situation in the Gaza Strip is “amenable” before normalizing ties with the Jewish state, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said at an investment summit.
“We look at just what’s happening now in north [Gaza] where we have a complete blockade of any access for humanitarian goods coupled with a continued military assault without any real pathway for civilians to find shelter, to find safe zones, that can only be described as a form of genocide,” Prince Faisal said, according to Reuters.
He added that U.S.-Saudi deals regarding trade and technology are “not tied to any third parties” and can potentially progress “quite quickly.
“Some of the more significant defense cooperation agreements are much more complicated. We would certainly welcome an opportunity to finish them before the [end of the] administration’s term, but that’s reliant on other factors outside of our control,” the top diplomat added.
Faisal informed investors on Thursday that Riyadh’s relations with Iran “are moving in the right direction, but of course, they are complicated by the issues of regional dynamics.”
Saudi Arabia and the U.S. are looking into a set of agreements on nuclear energy, security and defense cooperation, all of which were initially part of a proposed normalization pact involving Riyadh and Jerusalem. The three-way talks faltered following the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack.
In August, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Israeli government officials that they would have to make considerable concessions to the Palestinians if a U.S.-brokered deal with Saudi Arabia is to succeed.
Saudi Arabia will need to show Muslims that it is extracting promises from Israel regarding the Palestinians, Blinken explained following talks with Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer. Riyadh is also requesting American support for a Saudi civilian nuclear program.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said in an interview with Bloomberg that the concessions to the Palestinians the U.S. and Saudi Arabia expect are not as big a stumbling block as people think.
“If there is a political will, there will be a political way to achieve normalization and formal peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia. That has enormous economic consequences for the investors and if they have to bet on it right now, I’d bet on it,” the prime minister said.
