Saudi Arabia pauses peace deal negotiations with Israel: Report

As reported by The Jerusalem Post citing the report, Riyadh has communicated through the United States that the “extremist” character of Israel’s right-wing government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is obstructing any potential improvement in relations with the Palestinians, consequently affecting ties with Saudi Arabia.

The report also mentioned that Saudi Arabia was discouraged from pursuing a potential peace agreement because of Netanyahu’s willingness to accommodate the demands of individuals like National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, whom the Saudis perceive as being from the “far-right” political spectrum.

“In our judgment that needs to involve a two-state solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he explained.

In the previous week, Antony Blinken, the United States Secretary of State, stated that Saudi Arabia had communicated to the Biden administration that addressing Palestinian concerns is a pivotal factor in any potential agreement for normalizing relations with Israel.

“It is also clear from what we hear from the Saudis that if this process is to move forward, the Palestinian piece is going to be very important too,” Blinken said on Wednesday in an interview with the podcast Pod Save the World.

Israeli normalization with the Arab world and “any of the efforts that are going on to improve relations between Israel and its neighbors can not be a substitute for Israel and the Palestinians resolving their differences and having a much better future for Palestinians,” Blinken said.

“In our judgment that needs to involve a two-state solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he further explained.

Updated: 18 Sep 2023, 07:13 AM IST