Saudi Arabia renews rejection of establishing any relations with Israel without establishing a Palestinian State

Saudi Arabia renewed, at dawn on Wednesday, its rejection of establishing diplomatic relations with Israel without the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, stressing that this firm position isn’t subject to negotiation or outbidding, and that it has informed the current US administration of this.

This came in a statement by the Saudi Foreign Ministry, following statements by US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which the former claimed that “Saudi Arabia isn’t demanding a Palestinian state in exchange for a peace agreement with Israel,” and Netanyahu claimed that “normalization with Saudi Arabia isn’t only possible, but will be achieved, and I am committed to that”.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry affirmed in the statement that “the Kingdom’s position on the establishment of the Palestinian state is a firm, steadfast and unwavering position, and that this firm position isn’t subject to negotiation or outbidding”.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry added that the Saudi Crown Prince, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, confirmed this position in a clear and explicit manner that doesn’t allow for any interpretation under any circumstances during the speech he delivered at the opening of the first year of the ninth session of the Shura Council on September 18, 2024.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry pointed out that the Saudi Crown Prince stressed at the time that “the Kingdom won’t stop its tireless work towards the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and that the Kingdom won’t establish diplomatic relations with Israel without that… The Saudi Crown expressed this firm position during the extraordinary Arab-Islamic summit held in Riyadh on November 11, 2024”.

At the summit, the Saudi Crown Prince stressed continuing efforts to establish a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, calling for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, urging more peace-loving countries to recognize the State of Palestine, and the importance of mobilizing the international community to support the rights of the Palestinian people.

In the same statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry stressed its previous announcement of its absolute rejection of any infringement on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, whether through Israeli settlement policies, annexation of Palestinian lands, or efforts to displace the Palestinian people from their land.

Since January 25, Trump has renewed his call to forcibly deport Palestinians to countries such as Egypt and Jordan, which both countries have strongly rejected.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry stressed that the duty of the international community today is to work to alleviate the harsh human suffering that the Palestinian people are suffering from, as they will remain committed to their land and won’t budge from it.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry stressed that this firm position is not subject to negotiation or outbidding, and that a lasting and just peace cannot be achieved without the Palestinian people obtaining their legitimate rights in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions, and this is what was previously explained to the previous US administration and the current administration”.

On more than one occasion, Saudi Arabia has stipulated that the Israeli government must agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, in exchange for normalizing relations.