The remarks by Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir during an interview with CNN late Friday came after Riyadh announced that it would be opening its airspace to all civilian airliners in a move seen aimed at allowing Israeli overflights.
US President Joe Biden, who met with Saudi leaders on Friday while in Jeddah for a regional conference, called the decision the “first tangible step” toward normalized ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
But al-Jubeir poured cold water on the idea, insisting that the Gulf kingdom’s position on ties with the Jewish state have not changed.
“We have said that Saudi Arabia supports the Arab Peace Initiative. In fact, we offered it, and we have made it clear that peace comes at the end of this process, not at the beginning of it,” the senior diplomat said. READ MORE
