Saudi Arabia has outlined preconditions for establishing full diplomatic relations with Israel, emphasizing the need for Israel to recognize the sovereignty of Palestine and to withdraw its military presence from the Gaza Strip. The kingdom's Foreign Ministry made this stance known through a statement released on X (formerly Twitter).
The statement underscores Saudi Arabia's insistence on three key conditions for diplomatic normalization: acknowledgment of an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, inclusive of East Jerusalem as its capital; cessation of Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip; and the complete evacuation of all Israeli occupation forces from the area.
This position aligns with the broader regional shift towards diplomatic normalization with Israel, as seen in the Abraham Accords signed in September 2020. These accords facilitated the establishment of diplomatic ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain, followed by Sudan and Morocco. Prior to these agreements, Israel maintained diplomatic relations primarily with Egypt and Jordan among Arab nations.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud has previously indicated that Saudi Arabia is moving steadily towards normalizing relations with Israel, as stated in his September 2023 interview with Fox News. Despite the evolving dynamics in the Gaza Strip, Saudi Arabia's Investment Minister, Khaled bin Abdulaziz al-Faleh, reaffirmed in November that the kingdom continues to prioritize the normalization process with Israel.
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Based on materials from TASS