Saudi crown prince says no normalisation with Israel without Palestinian statehood
Saudi Arabia will not normalise relations with Israel without the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said on Wednesday.
"The Kingdom will not cease its diligent efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital," he said at an annual address before the Shura Council in Riyadh.
"We confirm that Saudi Arabia will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel until that goal is achieved."
Bin Salman, who is also Saudi Arabia's prime minister, said his government condemns "crimes" committed by Israel in violation of international law.
"The Palestinian cause is a top priority for Saudi Arabia, and we reiterate the kingdom's rejection and strong condemnation of the crimes committed by the Israeli occupation authorities against the Palestinian people, in disregard of international and humanitarian law in a new and bitter chapter of suffering," he said.
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“We extend our thanks to the countries that recognised the Palestinian state in embodiment of international legitimacy, and we urge the rest of the countries to take similar steps,” he added.
Saudi Arabia and Israel had been making progress on normalisation of ties prior to the 7 October Hamas-led attack on Israel and the subsequent Israeli onslaught on Gaza.
Weeks before 7 October, Bin Salman said that the kingdom's ties with Israel were getting closer "every day" amid apparent signs of de facto normalisation in various areas including defence and technology.
Talks on normalisation of ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel had been spearheaded by the administration of US President Joe Biden following the success of deals with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan in 2020 and 2021, part of the accords brokered by then US president Donald Trump.
Saudi officials have repeatedly emphasised that Palestinian statehood was one of the conditions during normalisation talks.
Prince Khalid bin Bandar, the Saudi ambassador in London, said in January that a normalisation deal was "close" but the kingdom paused US-brokered talks after the 7 October attack.
"We were close to normalisation, therefore close to a Palestinian state. One doesn't come without the other. The sequencing, how it is managed, that is what was being discussed," the diplomat added.
The Saudi foreign ministry also said in February that no normalisation will take place without a ceasefire and progress toward Palestinian statehood.
Yet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in April that Washington and Riyadh have engaged in intensive diplomacy since 7 October to reach the normalisation deal and that an agreement was nearing "completion".
Despite official comments supporting Palestinian statehood, the Saudi government has reportedly suppressed criticism of Israel on social media networks, with several people detained for posts about the conflict.
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