A Saudi Arabian official commented on the prospects of a normalization agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel, saying the kingdom’s position on the issue remains unchanged.
Fahad Nazer, spokesperson for the Saudi Embassy in the US, made the comments in an interview with the Arab News website.
“Saudi Arabia’s position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been clear and has been consistent for many years. In fact, it was the late King Abdullah, who, way back in 2002, introduced what is now known as the Arab Peace Initiative at the Arab League Summit in Beirut in that year,” Nazer said.
“And the proposal, the initiative, does offer Israel normalization with all members of the Arab states in return for a just and comprehensive peace with the Palestinians based on a two-state solution,” he added.
While Nazer added that “that offer really still remains on the table,” the core issue of Palestinian Arab rights is still a must before normalization can truly continue.
Israel has been for years rumored to have behind-the-scenes ties with Saudi Arabia, but the Saudis have vehemently denied those rumors.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made clear that his goal is to achieve a peace agreement with Saudi Arabia that would “effectively end the Arab-Israeli conflict.”
Nazer’s comments are in line with what Saudi officials have repeatedly said: That a Palestinian state with eastern Jerusalem as its capital is a prerequisite for Saudi Arabia normalizing ties with Israel.
The 2002 Saudi Peace Initiative mentioned by Nazer stipulates that 22 Arab countries will normalize ties with Israel in return for an Israeli withdrawal from Judea and Samaria.
Israel to date has rejected the 2002 Saudi proposal due to the fact that it calls for Israel to accept the so-called "right of return" for millions of descendants of Arabs who fled pre-state Israel, effectively bringing an end to the Jewish state.