Saudi FM: No (Official) Ties with Israel Until Peace with Palestinians

TRUNEWS with RICK WILES According to Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Israel’s proposed peace deal with the United Arab Emirates won’t have any bearing on the kingdom’s policy of not making official ties with Israel until there is a peace deal with the Palestinians. Faisal bin Farhan told reporters that the kingdom remains committed to peace “as a strategic option” as long as it is based upon the Arab Peace Initiative. Launched by Saudi Arabia, the API calls for: • a full Israeli withdrawal from lands it has occupied since 1967, including the West Bank and East Jerusalem; • “right of return” for all Palestinian refugees and their descendants dating back to the 1948 Arab-Israeli War – which the UN says numbers about 5 million; and • peace and normalization of diplomatic relations with all Arab states, if the first two conditions are met. The Saudi FM said that Israel is instead pursuing “unilateral policies” – such as annexation in the West Bank – that are “illegitimate and detrimental to the two-state solution.” His comments were the first attributable to a Saudi official since the UAE agreed to sit down and negotiate with Israel. (Photo Credit: U.S. State Department) www.trunews.com