Metropolis Desk-
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that it has informed the US that it will not establish diplomatic ties with Israel until Israeli “aggression” on the Gaza Strip ceases and an independent Palestinian state is recognized on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem.
The Biden administration has heard encouraging feedback that Israel and Saudi Arabia are open to carrying on with normalization talks, according to White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby on Tuesday.
In light of the remarks ascribed to Kirby, the kingdom released the statement to restate its unwavering stance to Washington regarding the Palestinian issue, according to the ministry.
Since the Saudis quietly approved of their Gulf neighbors Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates forging diplomatic ties with Israel in 2020, there has been talk of formalizing relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
As the conflict between Israeli forces and the Palestinian militant group Hamas intensified in October 2023, sources close to Riyadh’s thinking told Reuters that Saudi Arabia had shelved US-backed plans to restore relations with Israel.
After terrorists from Gaza, which is ruled by Hamas, killed 1,200 people and kidnapped 253 others in southern Israel on October 7, Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza.
Source- BBC News
