Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir has expressed the Kingdom’s support for a “just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue.”
In a series of tweets Wednesday, the Saudi Foreign Ministry quoted al-Jubeir as saying that Riyadh envisions the establishment of a Palestinian state within the borders of 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, “in accordance with international legitimacy and the Arab Peace Initiative.”
“We continue to adhere to our positions on the just cause of the Palestinian people, who are suffering from Israeli occupation,” al-Jubeir noted.
On Monday, Saudi media reported that King Salman had held telephone talks with US President Donald Trump and informed him of the Kingdom’s willingness to reach a “permanent and just solution to the Palestinian cause to bring peace,” but only with a guarantee of Palestinian statehood.
Last week, Riyadh approved a request submitted by the UAE to permit all countries to pass through the kingdom’s airspace to reach the UAE, with the decision coming days after the first commercial flight from Israel arrived in the UAE via Saudi airspace.
UAE agreed to normalize relations with Israel last month, paving the way for other Arab nations to do the same but angering the Palestinians.
A leading Gulf intellectual was upset when the deal was signed and responded: “All the Arabs nations today are nothing but hypocrites who have sold their religion and deserve all the fate of misery that is now coming down on them. We are seeing just the beginning. They have lost the respect of all. Disunity is their way of life. God won’t leave them a place on earth to shelter from His wrath”.
DesPardes had agreed to quote him on his request that his name be not attributed.
Among Arab nations, only Egypt and Jordan have active diplomatic ties with Israel. UAE becomes the third.
“Despite several speculations it is inconceivable for Saudi Arabia to have direct relations with the Zionist entity, said Khaled Almaeena, a Saudi media and political analyst and former editor in chief of Arab News.
The deal was reached with U.S. backing, and President Trump has hailed it as historic –it’s a rare diplomatic win to Trump ahead of the November election as his efforts to see an end to the war in Afghanistan have yet to come to fruition while efforts to bring peace between Israel and the Palestinians have made no headway.
Speaking to DesPardes, Pakistani Senator Mushahidullah Khan appreciated Saudi Arabia’s stance and said, “Palestinians need support from all over the world specially from the UN, Arab League, U.S. and OIC.”
Both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are members of the 57-member nations OIC.
Pakistan is a key ally of Saudi Arabia (which leads OIC), with a longstanding defense pact to safeguard its territorial integrity and sovereignty. It does not recognize Israel and maintains its principled stand on the Palestinian issue –same as the Kingdom reiterated on Wednesday.
“Our stance is very clear from day one and Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had said Pakistan can never accept state of Israel until the people of Palestine get rights and state,” PM Khan had said last while categorically rejecting any possibility that Pakistan can establish relations with Israel after it signed a deal with the UAE to normalize bilateral ties.
“If peace is the need of the world then the issue of Palestine should be resolved as soon as possible,” Sen. Mushahidullah said.
That may not be resolved so soon though, according to an analyst. “Palestine’s independence? Forget that bit for now!”, he says.
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