Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia's de facto leader had reaffirmed his "strong interest" in ties with Israel but would first like to see the end of the conflict in Gaza and a "timeline" for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman © Mena Today
Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia's de facto leader had reaffirmed his "strong interest" in ties with Israel but would first like to see the end of the conflict in Gaza and a "timeline" for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
"Specifically on normalization, the Crown Prince reiterated Saudi Arabia's strong interest in pursuing that," Blinken told the press in Doha, following his meeting with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman in Riyadh. "But he was very clear in repeating to me that for that to happen, two things are necessary: the end of the conflict in Gaza and a clear and credible timeline for the creation of a Palestinian state," he emphasized.
As a leader among the Gulf Arab monarchies and a major player in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia does not recognize Israel but had engaged in talks with the United States, its key ally, on the potential normalization of relations with Israel.
Since October 7, the Saudi kingdom has conditioned the resumption of talks on a Gaza ceasefire and an agreement on an "irreversible" path to the creation of a Palestinian state.
During his previous visit to Saudi Arabia in January, Antony Blinken had also spoken of Riyadh's "clear interest" in continuing discussions on this matter.
"We understand the immense benefits for all parties involved that would come from further integrating Israel into the region, starting with the benefits for Israel," said Blinken, who is set to meet with Israeli leaders on Wednesday as part of his Middle East tour.
Saudi Arabia, the guardian of Islam's holiest sites, did not join the 2020 Abraham Accords negotiated by the United States, which allowed its neighbors Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, as well as Morocco, to establish official ties with Israel.
Israel is not seeking an endless war with Iran and will coordinate with the United States on when to end the fighting, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Tuesday, declining to publicly state a timeline for when the conflict could end.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun launched a scathing attack on Hezbollah Monday, accusing the Iran-backed group of deliberately seeking to trigger Lebanon's « collapse », and calling for direct negotiations with Israel to end the war.
Saudi Arabia began oil output cuts, becoming the latest Gulf producer impacted by the U.S. and Israeli war on Iran that has halted ship traffic in the region, sending crude prices up nearly 30% on Monday to $119 a barrel and prompting G7 countries to consider releasing emergency oil stocks.
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