In his speech, the Saudi Foreign Minister reiterated the kingdom’s stance that a Palestinian state is part of the solution in the Middle East, and did not mention Israel.
"The stability of the region rests on a just and comprehensive solution for the Palestinian cause, and the establishment of a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital," said Prince Faisal.
He added that his country “rejects and condemns all the unilateral steps that constitute a blatant violation of international laws and which contribute to the collapse of regional and international peace efforts and are hindering the path of diplomatic solutions.”
According to reports in Israeli media, Israel sent a diplomatic representative to the hall during the Saudi Foreign Minister’s speech, even though the speech took place during Shabbat.
There was no mention of Israel in the speech despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s comments on the efforts for normalization with Saudi Arabia, in his speech before the General Assembly on Friday.
"I believe that we are at the cusp of a historic peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Such a peace will go a long way to ending the Arab Israeli conflict." He further went on to describe a planned corridor connecting the Arabian peninsula, Israel, and Europe, to allow for travel, shipping, and energy pipelines between all of the countries involved," said Netanyahu.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman commented on the negotiations with Israel in an interview with Fox News which aired on Wednesday.
"Every day we get closer, it seems it's for the first time real one serious. We get to see how it goes," he said, adding his country could work with Israel, no matter who is in charge and calling a potential deal "the biggest historical deal since the end of the Cold War."
