Rabat – After a few years of rumors and speculation, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has acknowledged that his country is engaged in negotiations with Israel for the normalization of relations between the two countries.
Bin Salman made his remarks in an interview with US broadcaster Fox News, where he said that normalization of ties between the two countries “is getting closer everyday.”
“Every day, we get closer,” he said, recalling Saudi Arabia’s condition for a normalized tie between Riyadh and Tel Aviv
Commenting on the Palestinian cause, bin Salman described the issue as a “very important” dossier to his country.
“We need to solve that part … we got to see where we go. We hope that will reach a place, that it will ease the life of Palestinians, and get Israel as a player in the Middle East,” he said.
The remarks came after constant statements from Saudi Arabia, stressing the country’s rejection of any rapprochement with Israel without a solution to the Palestine cause.
Prior to Bin Salman’s remarks, Foreign Affairs Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al Saud said that “true normalization and true stability will only come through … giving the Palestinians a state.”
Bin Salman’s remarks came amid an international uproar following Israel’s latest provocative storming of the Al Aqsa mosque compound by settlers.
Saudi Arabia was among the countries that condemned the storming of the compound, holding Israel “fully responsible for the repercussions of these continued violations.”
An agreed-upon normalization of ties between Riyadh and Tel Aviv is positive news for the US, especially as the Biden administration recently faced difficulties in facilitating normalization with Libya.
Several countries have agreed to engage in the Abraham Accords and normalize ties with Tel Aviv, including Morocco — which re-established diplomatic ties with Israel in December 2020.
