According to a statement released by the Saudi foreign ministry on Wednesday, Saudi Arabia has informed the US that it will not establish diplomatic ties with Israel until Israel ceases its “aggression” against the Gaza Strip and an independent Palestinian state is recognised on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem.
John Kirby, the White House spokesperson for national security, stated on Tuesday that the Biden administration has heard encouraging reports that Israel and Saudi Arabia are open to carrying on with normalisation talks.
According to the ministry, the kingdom made the statement to reaffirm its unwavering stance towards Washington about the Palestinian issue in light of Kirby’s alleged remarks.
The idea of Israel and Saudi Arabia formally cementing ties has been under discussion since the Saudis gave their quiet assent to Gulf neighbours United Arab Emirates and Bahrain establishing ties with Israel in 2020.
Saudi Arabia put US-backed plans to normalise ties with Israel on ice, sources familiar with Riyadh’s thinking told Reuters in Oct, 2023, as the war between Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israeli forces escalated.
Israel began its military offensive in Gaza after militants from Hamas-ruled Gaza killed 1,200 people and took 253 hostages in southern Israel on Oct. 7.
Via Firstpost World Latest News https://ift.tt/nF1I2Oj
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