KSA: No Israel normalization without Palestinian state
Riyadh announced a halt to Israel normalization until an independent Palestinian state is recognized on February 7th, according to Reuters.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) foreign ministry is purportedly steadfast on the reestablishment of an independent Palestine’s 1967 borders, to include East Jerusalem, and an end to Israeli aggression in Gaza.
The announcement comes after US national security spokesperson, John Kirby, said Washington had received positive feedback on February 6th from both Riyadh and Tel Aviv, regarding the continuation of normalization talks.
The prospect of formal Saudi-Israel normalization has been under discussion since 2020, when Riyadh gave quiet consent to its gulf neighbours, UAE, and Bahrain, in establishing ties with Tel Aviv.
Riyadh put its own US-endorsed plans for improving ties on hold in October 2023, as the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict escalated.
READ: US official says deal with KSA and Israel would be beneficial
Israel began a large-scale land, air, and sea offensive on Gaza in retaliation for an October 7th Hamas attack on southern Israel. According to Israeli figures, Hamas killed over 1,200 people and abducted 253 hostages.
To date, Israel’s offensive has killed at least 27,947 people in Gaza and wounded 67,459, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry’s figures.
Reuters
