Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, Photo: MEMO
Faizel Patel – 19/08/2020
Saudi Arabia says it will not follow the United Arab Emirates and establish diplomatic ties with Israel until it signs a peace accord with the Palestinians.
AFP reports that Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told reporters on a visit to Berlin that “peace must be achieved with the Palestinians” as a condition for any normalisation of relations with Israel.
The Israel-UAE deal last week is only the third such accord Israel has struck with an Arab country, after Egypt and Jordan, and raises the prospect of similar accords with other pro-Western Gulf states.
While Saudi Arabia has maintained silence over the deal, local officials have hinted that Riyadh is unlikely to immediately follow in the footsteps of the UAE despite US pressure.
Prince Faisal noted that the Kingdom had sponsored 2002 Arab peace initiatives holding out the prospect of a normalisation of ties with Israel but says Riyadh now saw no road to diplomatic relations without a Palestinian peace deal.
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