Saudi Arabia reiterates that Palestinian state with '67 borders is prerequisite to Israel normalization

The Saudi Foreign Ministry re-emphasized that any normalization agreement with Israel depends upon the establishment of a Palestinian Arab state along the 1967 armistice line, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

“The Kingdom has communicated its firm position to the US administration that there will no diplomatic relations with Israel unless an independent Palestinian state is recognized on the 1967 border with east Jerusalem as its capital,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry stated in its communication with Washington.

Last month, Saudi Ambassador to the UK, Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud, told the BBC network that the kingdom is still interested in normalizing its diplomatic relations with Israel.

“Absolutely, there’s interest, there’s been interest since 1982 and before,” Al Saud said during the BBC interview.

Al Saud said the Saudis acknowledge the State of Israel as a reality in the Middle East, however, he emphasized that normalization with Israel is dependent upon the establishment of a Palestinian state.

“We’ve been at this for a long time, and willing to accept Israel for a long time, it's a reality that’s there that we have to live with. But we can’t live with Israel without a Palestinian state,” he stated.

Saudis are also demanding an end to Israel's “aggression” in Gaza, despite being fully aware the war was initiated by the Hamas terror organization – a regional proxy for the Iranian regime – when terrorists invaded Israel's southern border communities and massacred some 1,200 Israelis, and abducted more than 250 hostages, mainly civilians.

While Saudi Arabia currently has no official diplomatic relations with the Jewish state, the kingdom played an essential role in realizing the historic Abraham Accords in 2020, when peace agreements were signed between Israel and four Arab nations – the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.

Furthermore, in 2022, Saudi Arabia opened its airspace for commercial flights between Israel and Gulf states, such as the UAE and Bahrain.

Any potential Saudi-Israeli normalization is linked to Saudi-U.S. diplomatic and defense ties. The Biden administration’s initial criticism of Saudi Arabia’s flagrant violation of fundamental human rights has complicated the ties between Washington and Riyadh.

However, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the White House has signaled its willingness to improve ties with the Saudi Kingdom, hoping to avoid pushing Riyadh into the Russian-Chinese orbit.

Following the outbreak of the war between Hamas terrorists and Israel, which began soon after the Oct. 7 attack, Saudi Arabia put a potential Israel-normalization agreement on hold.

Some Israeli and international pundits have argued that the Oct. 7 attack was ordered by the Iranian regime, as part of its effort to derail the normalization process between the ‘little satan,’ Israel, and the Saudi Kingdom.

Bloomberg News outlet recently reported that Saudi Arabia and the United States have resumed defense talks that include a potential normalization with the Jewish state. In addition, Saudi Arabia has indicated interest in commercial and technological cooperation with Israel. However, as one of the leading nations in the Sunni Arab world, the Saudis also publicly back the Palestinian Authority.

In May 2023, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) argued that the two-state solution was a central issue for the Arab world.

“The Palestinian issue was, and remains, the central issue for Arab countries, and it is at the top of the kingdom’s priorities,” MBS stated at the time.

“We will not delay in providing assistance to the Palestinian people in recovering their lands, restoring their legitimate rights and establishing an independent state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.”