Without a Palestinian state, there is no normalisation with Israel: Saudi Arabia

In an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, the Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said that his country would not normalise relations with Israel without a concrete plan for a Palestinian state.

When asked by the host “are you saying unequivocally that if there is not a credible and irreversible path to a Palestinian state, there will not be normalisation of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel?”

“That’s the only way we’re going to get a benefit, so yes,” Farhan replied. 

When asked if Saudi Arabia would finance reconstruction in Gaza, Prince Faisal gave a similar answer.

“As long as we’re able to find a pathway to a solution, a resolution, a pathway that means that we’re not going to be here again in a year or two, then we can talk about anything. But if we are just resetting to the status quo before October 7 - in a way that sets us up for another round of this, as we have seen in the past - we’re not interested in that conversation.”