Saudi Arabia considers the recent statements made by US President Donald Trump about relocating Palestinians a direct threat to the fragile ceasefire in Gaza. This was reported to TASS by a Saudi diplomatic source.
"The Kingdom rejects any actions that infringe on the rights of the Palestinian people. We view statements about relocating Palestinians as a threat to the fragile ceasefire in Gaza, which was achieved only after numerous failed attempts and extensive efforts by mediators, including the United States," the source said.
According to the official, President Trump’s plan, which envisions Gaza coming under US control and the forced relocation of Palestinians from the enclave, is met with "clear disbelief." "Saudi Arabia firmly believes that the Palestinian issue cannot be resolved without the participation of the Palestinian people, and any solution involving the forced displacement of Gaza’s residents is entirely unacceptable," the source added.
On February 4, during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump stated that he was considering the possibility of long-term US control over Gaza. He also expressed readiness to deploy American troops to the region and advocated for relocating Palestinians to other countries in the region. Commenting on Middle East peace efforts, Trump claimed that Saudi Arabia does not require the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
In response, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued an official statement emphasizing that the Kingdom would not normalize diplomatic relations with Israel until an independent Palestinian state is established within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The Question of Normalization
Before the recent escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israeli authorities had repeatedly expressed a desire to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia. In September 2023, Netanyahu told the United Nations General Assembly that both nations were moving closer to establishing diplomatic ties. A day earlier, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had expressed a similar sentiment during an interview with Fox News.
The US has been mediating talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia for several years, aiming to formalize diplomatic relations between the two nations. However, Israel’s military operations in Gaza caused Saudi Arabia to put normalization discussions on hold. On April 29, 2024, then-US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that resolving the conflict in Gaza and implementing a two-state solution remain essential prerequisites for normalization between the two countries.
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Based on TASS materials