This decision coincides with the visit of US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, to Riyadh
Saudi Arabia has decided to suspend negotiations on a possible normalization of relations with Israel, in the midst of the war between the Jewish State and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, a source close to the Saudi Government explained to the France Presse agency.
The kingdom «has decided to suspend talks on possible normalization with Israel and has informed American officials of this,» this source added.
This decision coincides with the visit of the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, to Riyadh as part of a tour of the region after the outbreak of the conflict in the Middle East. Blinken is scheduled to meet with the country’s top authorities, such as Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman.
Washington has been making efforts for months to achieve rapprochement between its two partners in the region, but Bin Salmán’s Executive has always made it a condition to propose a solution to the Palestinian issue.
In an interview given at the end of September on Fox News on the occasion of his attendance at the UN General Assembly, the crown prince assured that the normalization of relations with Israel was «closer than ever.» «We have to resolve that part [the Palestinian question] and we hope that the negotiations reach somewhere that makes life easier for the Palestinians and that Israel becomes an actor in the Middle East,» Bin Salmán added.
New stage with Iran
In parallel, Riyadh reestablished diplomatic relations with Iran last March after seven years of confrontation over hegemony in the Middle East region, an agreement mediated by China. Iran is the great enemy of Israel and the United States.
Last Thursday, Bin Salman and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi held a telephone conversation to address the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas. It was the first conversation between leaders of both countries in decades. In this call they stressed «Islamic unity» in the face of the war in Gaza and warned that the crimes of the Jewish Government will cause destruction and insecurity for Israel itself and its allies.
