Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said on Wednesday that his kingdom would not sign any treaty with Israel without the establishment of a Palestinian state, underlining its “absolute rejection of the crimes of the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people”. The crown prince, popularly known as MBS, asserted that Saudi Arabia was determined to exert all possible efforts to achieve an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
When fighting erupted last October between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist group governing Gaza, Saudi Arabia froze US-backed plans to normalize ties with Israel. According to people briefed on Riyadh’s diplomatic position, the move marked a rebalancing of priorities within the kingdom.
Before the conflict, MbS had suggested that Saudi Arabia was moving closer to a potential deal with Israel. Yet, the latest violence has caused delays in the US-backed talks on normalization, seen by many as a prerequisite for Saudi Arabia gaining a US defense pact-one of its most prized goals.
These comments came in an annual speech to the advisory Shura Council, delivered on behalf of King Salman. The crown prince’s comments reflect ongoing complications in Middle Eastern diplomacy and the outsized role the Palestinian issue continues to play in Saudi foreign relations.
