Considering the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant organization Hamas, Saudi Arabia has put on hold discussions on possibly normalizing relations with Israel, a source told AFP on Saturday.
On October 7, Hamas carried out a massive attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of 1,300 people. This strike sparked a retaliatory bombing campaign that has killed at least 1,900 people in the Gaza Strip in preparation for a possible Israeli ground invasion of the region.
“Saudi Arabia has decided to pause discussion on possible normalisation and has informed US officials,” a source familiar with the discussions told AFP.
The Muslim holy sites are located in the Gulf nation, which has never recognized Israel and refused to sign the 2020 Abraham Accords, which were mediated by the US and saw the formalization of relations between Israel and its Gulf neighbors Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates as well as Morocco.
The government of US Vice President Joe Biden had been pressing Saudi Arabia to follow suit vigorously in recent months.
Riyadh has set forth requirements for normalization, including security guarantees from Washington and assistance building a civilian nuclear program, under de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the son of the ailing King Salman.
Prince Mohammed stated that “every day we get closer” to a solution in an interview with Fox News last month, but he also emphasized that the Palestinian issue was “very important” for Riyadh.
“We need to solve that part. We need to ease the life of the Palestinians,” he said.
News that normalisation discussions are now on hold comes as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due to meet with his Saudi counterpart on Saturday, the latest stop on a six-nation tour of the region.
