Blinken: Ending Gaza war, two-state path needed for Saudi deal with Israel
The Saudis repeated that normalization required two things, Blinken said, “One, there needs to be calm in Gaza; two, there needs to be a clear and credible pathway to a Palestinian state."
Saudi normalization with Israel is dependent on an end to the Gaza war and Israel’s willingness to embark on the path to a two-state resolution to the conflict, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in Tel Aviv on Wednesday night.
“When I saw the Crown Prince [Mohammed Bin Salman] in Saudi Arabia just a couple of days ago, he repeated to me his desire and determination to pursue normalization,” Blinken said as he referred to his visit to the Kingdom on Monday night as part of his weeklong trip to the region. Bin Salman repeated that normalization required two things, Blinken said, “One, there needs to be calm in Gaza; two, there needs to be a clear and credible pathway to a Palestinian state.”Blinken said, “It’s clear to me, from talking to many of the countries in the region, that they’re prepared to do things with and for Israel that they were never prepared to do in the past, including steps that would further address any security concerns it might have. And similarly, the United States is prepared to do that, too.”
He didn’t refer to the unusual statement the Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry put out after the visit dismissing US claims that it was enough for Israel to commit to the process.
Saudi Arabia: normalization can only happen with Palestinian statehood
Normalization can only happen with recognition of Palestinian statehood on the pre-1967 lines, with east Jerusalem as the capital, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government have spoken of their opposition to Palestinian statehood even as they have sought diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia as part of their normalization push for the region.Before October 7, Israel had presumed that normalization was possible without Palestinian statehood but with other significant concessions to the Palestinians. US President Joe Biden had hoped to finalize a security pact with Riyadh that also included normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel.Blinken recalled those efforts while in Tel Aviv. “We were, before October 7th, pursuing the possibility of normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
“In fact, I was scheduled to come to Israel and Saudi Arabia – I believe it was on October 10th – to pursue that, and in particular, to focus on what we already knew back then was a necessary Palestinian component to any normalization agreement,” he stated.“We remain determined as well to pursue a diplomatic path to a just and lasting peace, and security for all in the region, and notably for Israel,” he said.
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