Thursday, May 2, 2024

Saudis warned Israel: Rafah op will harm chances of normalization

Saudi Arabia has sent a warning to Israel via the Americans that a military operation in Rafah would be a great mistake and would further delay the normalization of ties between the two nations, Kan Reshet Bet reported this morning, citing a source in the Saudi royal family.

The source stated that such an operation would only serve Iran, which does not want the situation in Gaza to calm down.

According to the Saudi source, Israel must make sacrifices for peace to create a regional alliance with the Arab nations based on the already existing partnership in order to fight Iran and Hezbollah.

The Saudi source further stated that if there will not be a Palestinian state, Israel will not be able to establish ties with its nation. Saudis see themselves as the leaders of the Muslim and Arab worlds and therefore feel that they must advocate for the Palestinians. Agreeing to normalization with Israel without the foundation of a Palestinian state would damage that status.

Earlier in the week US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Riyadh where he continued to promote the American initiative for a normalization agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel. He stated that an agreement is close to completion, but emphasized that Israel will be required to agree to promote the two-state solution.

Addressing the World Economic Forum he stated: "There really are two paths forward for the region as a whole. One – riven with division, with destruction, with violence, with permanent insecurity; the other – greater integration, greater security, greater peace. I think the meeting today shows that many more of us want to pursue that affirmative path, and I’m grateful to our colleagues from the GCC for working in partnership to advance in that direction."