Saudi Arabia pours cold water on claims of normalizing ties with Israel without Gaza ceasefire

“The kingdom has communicated its firm position to the US administration that there will be no diplomatic relations with Israel unless an independent Palestinian state is recognized on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, and that the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip stops and all Israeli occupation forces withdraw from the Gaza Strip,” the foreign ministry said in a statement issued early on Wednesday.

“The kingdom has communicated its firm position to the US administration that there will be no diplomatic relations with Israel unless an independent Palestinian state is recognized on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, and that the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip stops and all Israeli occupation forces withdraw from the Gaza Strip,” it added.

The statement came hours after US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby stated the Joe Biden administration had received positive feedback that Riyadh and Israel were willing to continue discussions around normalisation.

The idea of Israel and Saudi Arabia formally cementing ties has been under discussion since the Saudis gave their quiet assent to Persian Gulf neighbours United Arab Emirates and Bahrain establishing ties with Israel in 2020.

Several Saudi officials, including powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, have publicly acknowledged their willingness to normalise relations with Israel, even after Israel went to war on Gaza after the 7 October attacks, but they’ve stressed that no deal can be reached until there is a ceasefire in Gaza and that it must include the creation of an irreversible pathway toward a Palestinian state.

While Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has all but rejected a two-state solution and a large percentage of Israelis would oppose a framework based on the pre-1967 lines, the Saudi statement notably refrains from specifically demanding that Israel be the one to recognise an independent Palestinian state, instead placing the onus on members of the UN Security Council.

“The kingdom reiterates its call to the permanent members of the UN Security Council that have not yet recognized the Palestinian state, to expedite the recognition of the Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, so that the Palestinian people can obtain their legitimate rights and so that a comprehensive and just peace is achieved for all,” the statement read.

In late December, a poll conducted by the Washington Institute for Near Eastern Affairs, a pro-Israel think tank based in Washington, found that a staggering 96 percent of Saudis believed that Arab countries should cut ties with Israel in response to the war on Gaza.

While the kingdom has a monarchial system, public opinion plays a factor in the decision-making of Arab leaders, according to analysts.