WAR: SAUDI PAUSES TALKS ON NORMALISATION WITH ISRAEL
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Agency Report
A source told AFP on Saturday that Saudi Arabia had put a halt to negotiations about possibly normalizing relations with Israel in the midst of the conflict between Israel and the terrorist Palestinian organization Hamas.
Prior to a possible Israeli ground invasion of the region, Hamas carried out a massive attack on Israel on October 7 that resulted in the deaths of 1,300 people. This strike also set off a retaliatory bombing campaign in the Gaza Strip that has killed at least 2,215 people.
According to a source involved with the talks, “Saudi Arabia has decided to pause discussion on possible normalization and has informed US officials,” AFP said.
As the last stop in a six-nation tour of the area, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was set to meet with his Saudi counterpart on Saturday.
The Gulf state, which is home to some of Islam’s holiest sites, has never acknowledged Israel and declined to sign the 2020 Abraham Accords, which were mediated by the US and saw Morocco, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates among its neighbours in the Gulf form official diplomatic ties with Israel.
The administration of US President Joe Biden has been vigorously pressuring Saudi Arabia to follow suit in recent months.
Washington’s security guarantees and assistance in constructing a civilian nuclear programme were among the requirements for normalization that Riyadh had set under de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, son of the ageing King Salman.
In an interview with Fox News last month, Prince Mohammed said “every day we get closer” to a deal, though he also insisted the Palestinian issue was “very important” for Riyadh.
“We need to solve that part. We need to ease the life of the Palestinians,” he said.
The deal was seen as a long shot by many analysts even before the war began.
“Normalisation between the Kingdom and Israel is an American initiative and project that the Kingdom has welcomed in case the US could deliver an agreement addressing the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians — one that the Palestinians would accept,” said Saudi analyst Hesham Alghannam.
“In reality, Israel was not really ready to reach an agreement with the Palestinians that would give them the minimum of their needs.”
Joost Hiltermann, Middle East director of the International Crisis Group, said there was “no way that any Arab country can seriously engage with Israel about normalising relations when their publics see what is happening in Gaza”.
‘Disturbing situation’
In the week since Hamas launched its attack on Israel, Riyadh has voiced increasing disquiet about the fate of Palestinians in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, where Israel has launched thousands of strikes and ordered the evacuation of the territory’s north, prompting thousands to flee.
On Friday, Saudi Arabia denounced the displacement of Palestinians within Gaza and attacks on “defenceless civilians”, its strongest language criticising Israel since the war broke out.
Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan similarly decried civilian casualties after meeting with Blinken on Saturday.
“It’s a disturbing situation. It’s a very difficult situation. And, you know, the primary sufferer of this situation are civilians and civilian populations on both sides are being affected,” he said.
“The priority now needs to be to stop further civilian suffering, and here we need to find a way to quickly de-escalate the situation to quickly bring back peace -— at least stopping the guns —- and then working towards addressing also the humanitarian challenges.”
Blinken, for his part, highlighted efforts to establish “safe areas” in Gaza as well as “a corridor so that humanitarian assistance can reach people who need it.”
“None of us want to see suffering by civilians on any side, whether it’s in Israel, whether it’s in Gaza, whether it’s anywhere else, and we’re working together to do our best to protect them,” he said.
In recent days, Riyadh has publicised its diplomatic outreach “to stop the ongoing escalation”, contacting regional leaders across and beyond the region.
On Thursday, Saudi state media reported that Prince Mohammed had discussed “the current military situation in Gaza and its environs” with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.
It was the first call between the two men since their countries announced a surprise China-brokered rapprochement in March after seven years of severed ties.
AFP
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