Israel-Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry has poured cold water on claims it was prepared to normalise relations with Israel before a ceasefire is brokered in the Gaza Strip and without progress toward Palestinian statehood.

Saudi Arabia's top diplomat indicated on Tuesday that Riyadh would recognize Israel if the Palestinian issue is resolved.

Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the UK has stated that the country is still interested in normalising relations with Israel after the war in Gaza، adding any normalisation agreement must also lead to the creation of a Palestinian state

A new poll has found that 96 percent of Saudi nationals believe that Arab nations should cut ties with Israel in response to the Israeli war in the Gaza Strip, and that the popularity of Hamas has grown significantly amid Israel's devastating military offensive on the embattled territory.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is going to travel to Saudi Arabia on Saturday to participate in the emergency summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) as Tehran steps up its efforts to end the Israeli war on Gaza.

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Investment Khalid Al-Falih has stated negotiations toward a normalisation of ties with Israel remain on the table, though they have always been “contingent on a pathway to a peaceful resolution of the Palestinian question”.

Saudi Arabia has reportedly reconsidered its foreign policy priorities amid the Israeli onslaught against the besieged Gaza Strip by postponing a US-brokered normalization deal with Tel Aviv and getting closer to Iran.

20 U.S. Senate Democrats have laid out their conditions to support President Joe Biden’s push to establish a peaceful relationship between Israel and Saudi Arabia, raising concerns about human rights and Riyadh demands of Washington.

Iran’s principlist newspaper Kayhan has warned Saudi Arabia of the consequences of normalizing relations with Israel, saying any rapprochement will be met with angry reactions by resistance movements.

Saudi Arabia is determined to secure a military pact requiring Washington to defend the kingdom in return for opening ties with Israel and will not hold up a deal even if Tel Aviv does not offer major concessions to Palestinians in their bid for statehood, three regional sources familiar with the talks say.

Saudi Arabia's non-resident ambassador to Palestine has postponed a planned visit to Al-Aqsa Mosque following criticism by some Palestinians who viewed the visit as validating the Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem. Some called for the Saudi delegation to be prevented from entering the mosque.

The Israeli tourism minister has travelled to Riyadh for a United Nations conference, his office has confirmed, describing the visit as the first public trip to Saudi Arabia by an Israeli cabinet member.

Security and stability in the Middle East requires a fair and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian problem, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud has stated.

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) has said that Riyadh was moving steadily closer to normalising relations with Tel Aviv, following similar moves by other Persian Gulf countries and amid a big push by the United States for a Saudi-Israeli deal.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed confidence that a “historic” US-brokered deal to establish formal diplomatic relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia can be reached, as the Israeli prime minister held talks with US President Joe Biden.

Ankara supports the recent attempts aimed at normalization of ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during a closed-door briefing with analysts and journalists in New York, sources told Middle East Eye.

Riyadh has reportedly informed Washington of its decision to suspend all negotiations on normalizing relations with Tel Aviv due to the far-right Israeli cabinet’s unwillingness to make any concessions to the Palestinians.

The normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia is possible but not a certainty, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has stated.

King Salman of Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have received separate letters from Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on strengthening of relations between Tehran and Riyadh, the state-run Saudi news agency revealed. 

An Israeli delegation on Monday attended a gathering by the United Nations' cultural agency in Riyadh, in another sign that Saudi Arabia is opening up to Tel Aviv with Washington pressing for a full normalisation of relations.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan has said that US, Israeli and Saudi leaders have put many of the elements of a pathway to normalization on the table but there is still much work to do.

A Palestinian Authority (PA) delegation will discuss Ramallah’s role in a possible Saudi Arabia-Israel normalisation agreement in an upcoming meeting with American and Saudi officials in Riyadh, several sources have told Middle East Eye news outlet.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) has reportedly announced its conditions for backing any potential normalization agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel, despite rejecting the previous deals between the Zionist regime and some Arab states.

Saudi Arabia has offered to resume financial aid to the Palestinian Authority, in a move intended to build support among Palestinian leadership for Riyadh to establish official diplomatic relations with Israel, the Wall Street Journal has reported, citing “Saudi officials.”

A plane carrying Israelis home from the Indian Ocean island nation of Seychelles made an emergency stop in Saudi Arabia before flying back to Tel Aviv. Israel has praised it as a sign of goodwill as the United States works to establish formal relations between Riyadh and Tel Aviv.