Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the UK, Prince Khalid bin Bandar, has expressed Saudi Arabia’s interest in normalizing relations with Israel after the war in Gaza. However, he emphasizes that any deal must lead to the creation of a Palestinian state. The kingdom had paused US-brokered talks following Hamas’s deadly attacks on Israel in October. Despite the high casualty figures in Gaza, Saudi Arabia still believes in establishing ties with Israel, but not at the expense of the Palestinian people. The ambassador also criticizes the international community for not doing enough to end the fighting and calls for the UK to treat Israel the same way it treats other countries. Saudi Arabia has never formally recognized Israel since its creation in 1948, and a deal normalizing ties would be a significant breakthrough for the Jewish state.
In late September, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, stated that every day they were getting closer to an agreement with Israel. While he acknowledged the importance of the Palestinian issue, he did not explicitly state that the agreement would be dependent on the creation of an independent Palestinian state. Palestinian leaders publicly state that they will reject any deal that does not provide them with a state, but officials had privately demanded economic support and more control of land in the occupied West Bank in exchange for engaging with the Saudi-Israel process backed by the US.
After the October attacks in which hundreds of Hamas gunmen infiltrated Israeli communities from Gaza, Saudi officials reportedly asked the US to pause the discussions. The conflict resulted in a high number of casualties and a deep humanitarian crisis in Gaza. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, after meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed, expressed clear interest in pursuing normalization but emphasized that the conflict in Gaza must end and there must be a practical pathway to a Palestinian state.
The Saudi ambassador in London confirmed the interest in an agreement and stated that the final end point would include nothing less than an independent state of Palestine. He emphasized that normalizing relations with Israel does not come at the cost of the Palestinian people. However, he acknowledged that there were challenges in determining the role of Hamas in the future Palestinian state. Prince Khalid also criticized the extreme, absolutist perspective of the current Israeli government, which he believes hinders achieving compromise and perpetuates the conflict.
Furthermore, the ambassador warned about the risk of radicalization as a result of the war and the lack of hope it creates among disaffected people worldwide. He expressed his disappointment in the unprecedented level of violence carried out by both sides and criticized the insufficient efforts to stop it. Overall, the news highlights Saudi Arabia’s interest in normalizing relations with Israel but underscores the importance of addressing the Palestinian issue and the need for a practical pathway to a Palestinian state.
