US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Saudi Arabia on Monday that the country's leadership and Israel's other Arab neighbors are “interested” in normalizing relations, but not in creating a “Palestinian state.” He said he has no intention of pursuing that path without it. ”
“In terms of integration and normalization, yes, we have actually talked about that in every destination, including here in Saudi Arabia, of course,” Blinken said. Said. “And I can tell you this: There's a clear interest here in pursuing that. There's a clear interest in pursuing that in the region. But that requires an end to the conflict in Gaza. It is clear that this is necessary and that there needs to be a realistic path to a Palestinian state.”
“This is what I've heard from everyone I've talked to about this. But this interest exists, it's real, and it has the potential to be transformative,” he added.
Blinken is currently on a tour of the Middle East, including Qatar, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates (IAE), and Israel, including Saudi Arabia. Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders on Tuesday. But on Monday, before arriving in the country, he met Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in a luxurious tent in the kingdom's “historic oasis.” AlUla Related issues will be discussed, including Israel's ongoing self-defense operations against the Sunni terrorist organization Hamas and the continued threat of attacks by the Shiite terrorist group Houthi against international shipping in the Red Sea.
Meeting with His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman #we Secretary of State Antony Blinken #AlUla. pic.twitter.com/5pnLG5BDSe
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs🇸 (@KSAmofaEN) January 8, 2024
Official reading of the meeting by the State Department claimed In his meeting with the crown prince, Blinken “stressed the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.” This time, Mr. Mohammed bin Salman. reportedly “We underlined the critical importance of halting military operations in Gaza.”
Mr. Blinken told reporters that the leaders of Israel's Muslim neighbors he spoke with wanted “Israel and Israelis to live in peace and security,” and that both the West Bank and Gaza “are united under Palestinian rule.” He said they agreed on several points, including “what should be done.” Conducted leading governance. ” Currently, the West Bank is under the control of the Palestinian Authority, and the Gaza Strip is under the control of Hamas.
Israel has been on the offensive in Gaza, home to the terrorist group Hamas, since October 7, when jihadists invaded Israel and engaged in a widespread campaign of mass rape, torture, infanticide, kidnapping, mutilation and indiscriminate killings. conducting military operations. Civilian. Hamas terrorists killed an estimated 1,200 people and abducted about 250. Israel declared a formal state of war on October 8th.
Blinken claimed the parties agreed that “integration” with Israel is necessary, but not without “the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.” He did not specify the individuals or groups he suggested President Joe Biden's administration should govern a virtual “Palestinian state,” but he said the Palestinian Authority has been linked to Hamas and another jihadist terrorist organization, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. A “unification” government is emerging.
In Israel on Tuesday, Blinken similarly reiterated with Israeli officials the Biden administration's support for establishing a Palestinian state, but did not say whether the White House would oppose Hamas playing a role in the proposed state. There wasn't.
The Saudi government was widely rumored to be considering normalizing relations with Israel in the months immediately preceding the October 7 atrocity. It is noteworthy that in an interview just before Mohammed bin Salman discussed the possibility of establishing diplomatic relations with Israel, he did not call for the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Israel's Muslim neighboring governments have traditionally been hostile to the Jewish state, including Saudi Arabia. However, under former President Donald Trump, some countries pursued normalization of diplomatic relations. The most notable are the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain, which joined the Abraham Accords at a White House event in 2020 and established formal diplomatic relations with Israel. and two Arab nations. President Trump suggested at the time that at least five other countries were seeking to normalize relations with Israel with similar deals, including Saudi Arabia, but President Joe Biden It ended with the selection of
Washington DC – September 15: (LR) Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Donald Trump, and Abdullah bin Zayed of the United Arab Emirates. Foreign Minister Bin Sultan Al Nahyan participated. At the Abraham Accords signing ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on September 15, 2020. In the presence of President Trump, Prime Minister Netanyahu signed a peace agreement with the UAE and a declaration of intent for a peace agreement with Bahrain. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Both the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain condemned Hamas' attack on Israel.
“The United Arab Emirates reiterates that the international community must remain resolute in the face of violent attempts to derail ongoing regional efforts aimed at dialogue, cooperation and coexistence. “We reaffirmed this,” the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on October 8. We must not allow nihilistic destruction to strike a region where people have already suffered enough war and trauma. ”
After the Hamas massacre, Saudi Crown Prince bin Salman emphasized Riyadh's “commitment to support the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people” in response to Israel's self-defense efforts in Gaza, calling for not only the establishment of a Palestinian state but also Israel's He also asked for cession to the east. Jerusalem is used as the “capital” of this country.
“Saudi Arabia's firm and unwavering position has been and remains that the security and stability of Palestine can only be achieved through the implementation of international resolutions on a two-state solution,” President bin Salman said at a meeting of the BRICS member states in November. mentioned in. This is to enable the Palestinian people to obtain their legitimate right to establish an independent and sovereign Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. ”
