Riyadh: No peace with Palestinians, no agreements with Israel

Saudi Arabia does not intend to follow the decision recently taken by the United Arab Emirates. Respect for "international agreements" and the two-state solution are a "precondition" for official diplomatic relations with Israel. New pressure on Riyadh from the White House.


Riyadh (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Riyadh does not intend to follow the decision taken by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and establish official diplomatic relations with Israel, if this step does not provide for the signing of a peace plan with the Palestinians.

This is what Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan underlined yesterday, during a visit to Berlin in which he reiterated that peace based on "international agreements" is a "pre-condition" to any agreement, despite pressure from US President Donald Trump.

The head of Saudi diplomacy excluded the possibility of following Abu Dhabi, echoing the appeals of the Palestinians, who took to the streets yesterday in the West Bank to protest against the agreement between the Emirates and Israel.

Responding to reporters, Prince Faisal bin Farhan said that "first peace with the Palestinians must be achieved" on the basis of international treaties as a condition for any possible "normalization" of relations with Israel.

"Once that is achieved all things are possible," he said.

Up to now there have been no official positions taken by the most important economy in the Arab world, however various diplomatic sources and experts have pointed out that a similar step by Riyadh in the short term is "unlikely".

Also yesterday, Prince Faisal reiterated criticism of Israel's "unilateral policies" on annexation and branded the continued construction of settlements in the occupied West Bank as "illegitimate" and "harmful" to the two-state solution.

Riyadh maintains that the path undertaken in 2002 and aimed at normalizing relations with Israel remains valid. The establishment of real diplomatic relations, however, can only go through an all-encompassing peace plan, which protects the interests of the Palestinian people.

Yesterday, US President Donald Trump also returned to the subject, stating that he also expects Saudi Arabia to follow the example of the Emirates, signing the agreement and strengthening new relations and alliances in the Arab world and the Middle East, in an anti - Iranian.

The current occupant of the White House believes that the agreement between Israel and Abu Dhabi is a good agreement and "countries that you wouldn’t even believe want to come into that deal". In addition to Saudi Arabia, however, he did not want to specify other possible names.