Riyadh has insisted that Israel take steps towards establishing a Palestinian state as a condition for normalization.
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
Israeli coalition officials told the Jerusalem Post on Tuesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will concede on annexation of Judea and Samaria in a push towards a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia.
The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said they believed Netanyahu was likely to use a delay in annexation as a compromise to dissuade Saudi Arabia from demanding the establishment of a Palestinian state as a precondition for normalization.
In late January, Prince Khalid bin Bandar, Riyadh’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, reiterated in a radio interview the Saudi government’s insistence that Israel agree to a Palestinian state as a step toward normalization.
“We cannot have normalization with Israel without a solution for the Palestinians. And the solution for the Palestinians is a state; it is very clear,” the ambassador said when asked what it would take for Riyadh to join the Abraham Accords.
Netanyahu, who met with U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday, has expressed his goal of expanding the Abraham Accords to include normalization with Saudi Arabia.
However, two diplomatic sources reported that Saudi Arabia demands an end to the war in Gaza and a pathway toward a Palestinian state.
Many members of Netanyahu’s coalition welcomed the return of Donald Trump to the White House, hoping that the president would give a green light to annexing territories in Judea and Samaria or declaring Israeli sovereignty in the region.
In 2020, Netanyahu tried to convince Trump to allow Israel to declare sovereignty over 30% of Judea and Samaria, a plan that failed due to opposition from members of Netanyahu’s government and then-Defense Minister Benny Gantz.
In private conversations, Trump has reportedly said annexation is not currently on the agenda. However, some members of Netanyahu’s government were hoping that during his visit to Washington, Netanyahu could persuade Trump to agree to the proposal.
These officials fear that annexation may once again be ruled out.
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