The Saudi embassy in Washington has reiterated that Saudi Arabia will not pursue normalization of ties with Israel until a Palestinian state is established, according to spokesperson Fahad

Nazer.

Nazer emphasized that Saudi Arabia's position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has remained consistent for many years. He pointed out that in 2002, the late King Abdullah introduced the Arab Peace Initiative at the Arab League Summit in Beirut, which offers Israel the possibility of normalization with all Arab states in exchange for a just and comprehensive peace agreement with the Palestinians based on a two-state solution.

Nazer stated that the initiative remains on the table, but the issue of Palestinian rights must be resolved before any progress can be made in normalizing relations with Israel.

The statement comes after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Riyadh last week with the aim of advancing the normalization process between Saudi Arabia and Israel. Blinken had emphasized that the United States considers promoting normalization between the two countries to be of national security interest.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made establishing ties with Saudi Arabia a top priority, as it would further integrate Israel into the Arab world. However, various factors have dampened the immediate prospects of a deal, including recent clashes at the Al-Aqsa compound and Israel's settlement expansion in the West Bank.

The comments from Saudi embassy spokesperson Fahad Nazer highlight a contrasting view with Netanyahu, who believes that the lack of progress in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict should not hinder peace and normalization with other Arab nations. Photo by lawepw, Wikimedia commons.