The recognition of the Palestinian state is a must for Saudi Arabia to normalize ties with Israel. The Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, Prince Faisal Bin Farhan, reiterated the kingdom’s stance days after President Emmanuel Macron said France would recognize it in September.
“For the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, normalization with Israel can only come through the establishment of a Palestinian state,” Bin Farhan said at a United Nations press conference with his French counterpart, Jean-Noël Barrot, on the two-state solution.
“That position remains the same, and it is based on a strong conviction that only through the establishment of a Palestinian state and only through addressing the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination can we have sustainable peace and real integration in the region,” the Saudi foreign minister said.
U.S. President Donald Trump has been pressing Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords, a series of normalization agreements his first administration brokered between Arab states and Israel. The Kingdom, on different occasions, has reaffirmed its position and demand for an independent Palestinian state as part of any normalization agreement. The current humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip is a stumbling block to reaching such a deal.
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Meanwhile, France also adopted the same stance at a UN conference co-chaired with Saudi Arabia on Monday that was boycotted by Israel and branded a stunt by Washington. Luxembourg too hinted on Monday that it could follow France and recognize the Palestinian state in September, with the possibility that other countries could announce similar plans when the conference resumes on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa said that all states have a responsibility to act now. He called for the international community to join hands and recognize the Palestinian statehood at the beginning of the conference