Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister said there can be no normalisation of ties with Israel without resolving the Palestinian issue, he told CNN in an interview that aired on Sunday, January 21, 2024.
Asked if there could be no normal ties without a path to a credible and irreversible Palestinian state, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud told CNN’s Fareed Zakaria: “That’s the only way we’re going to get the benefit. So, yes, because we need stability and only stability will come through the resolving the Palestinian issue.”
The Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister’s remarks were part of an interview originally taped on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum held last week in Davos, Switzerland, and aired on CNN.
De-escalation of the conflict in Gaza and halting civilian deaths is a key focus of Saudi Arabia, the Minister said.
“What we are seeing is the Israelis are crushing Gaza, the civilian population of Gaza,” he said. “This is completely unnecessary, completely unacceptable and has to stop.”
Previously, U.S. President Joe Biden has also pushed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the need for future Palestinian statehood. During a call on Friday, Mr. Biden “made clear his strong conviction that a two-state solution is still the right path ahead.”
