7-2-2024 (CAIRO) The Saudi foreign ministry issued a statement on Wednesday (Feb 7) reiterating Saudi Arabia’s position to the United States that there will be no diplomatic relations with Israel unless an independent Palestinian state is recognized on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem. The statement also emphasized that Israeli “aggression” on the Gaza Strip must cease.
The Saudi foreign ministry’s statement comes in response to comments made by White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby on Tuesday. Kirby had mentioned that the Biden administration had received positive feedback indicating that Saudi Arabia and Israel were willing to continue discussions regarding normalization. The kingdom issued the statement to clarify its unwavering stance on the Palestinian issue to Washington.
The notion of formalizing ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia has been a topic of discussion since Saudi Arabia quietly consented to its Gulf neighbors, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, establishing relations with Israel in 2020.
Sources familiar with Riyadh’s thinking informed Reuters in October 2023 that Saudi Arabia had put plans, backed by the US, to normalize ties with Israel on hold due to the escalation of the conflict between the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israeli forces.
The military offensive by Israel in Gaza was initiated after militants from Hamas-ruled Gaza carried out an attack in southern Israel on October 7, resulting in the deaths of 1,200 people and the capture of 253 hostages.
