Riyadh Sets Condition for Normalization of Ties with Tel Aviv: Report

US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who is also the so-called peace envoy for the Middle East, has conveyed to Tel Aviv Saudi Arabia’s proposal on the resumption of peace talks between Israel and Palestine.

According to Moav Vardi, a political analyst with Israel’s Channel 10, the proposal conditions the normalization of Riyadh-Tel Aviv ties on the resumption of negotiations between Israel and Palestine.

“Riyadh officials told Kushner that they remain committed to the normalization of relations with Israel, and will allow commercial flights to resume between Saudi Arabia and Israel, and Israeli businessmen to receive Saudi visas,” said the analyst.

“Netanyahu didn’t accept the Saudis’ proposal, and didn’t promise to restart the peace talks,” Vardi added, according to a Farsi report by Al-Alam.

The political commentator said Netanyahu opposed a demand by Jason Greenblatt, Trump’s advisor on Israel affairs, that he offer his viewpoints on issues pertaining to the peace talks and the establishment of an unarmed Palestinian state.

The security delegation that travelled to Washington last week told the US government that Israel considers head of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas as “irrelevant” to issue of peace negotiations as Palestinian officials themselves have differences over the peace talks, said Vardi.

“The US gets help from Saudi Arabia to resume peace negotiations between the Palestinian Authority and Israel,” the Israeli analyst noted.

He said what has made the problem more complicated is that the Trump administration has no plans for the settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict because the problems he is facing do not allow him to pressure Israel to resume peace talks.