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One of the prominent princes of the Saudi royal family confirmed on Friday that the price the kingdom accepts for normalizing relations with Israel is the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
Prince Turki Al-Faisal in Manama - Photo from Reuters Archive.
Prince Turki al-Faisal's comments came in an apparent response to US President Donald Trump's statement on Wednesday that he expected Saudi Arabia to join the agreement to normalize diplomatic relations between Israel and the UAE, which the two countries announced last week.
The UAE is the third Arab country to establish full relations with Israel for more than 70 years. Under the US-brokered agreement, Israel suspended plans to annex settlements in the occupied West Bank that the Palestinians want as part of their future state.
The UAE said that Israel's pledge revived the possibility of implementing the two-state solution.
The agreement sparked speculation that other Gulf states backed by the United States would follow the example of the UAE. But Prince Turki said Saudi Arabia expects a greater return from Israel.
He wrote in the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, “If any Arab country is close to catching up with the United Arab Emirates, it must take the price in return, and it must be a dear one.”
He added, "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia set the price for the completion of peace between Israel and the Arabs, which is the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, based on the initiative of the late King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz."
In 2002, the Arab League proposed normalization of relations with Israel in exchange for its withdrawal from all Palestinian lands, which include the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem that it occupied in the 1967 war, and the establishment of a Palestinian state on these lands.
However, Prince Turki expressed his understanding of the UAE's decision, indicating that it had imposed an important condition, which was the suspension of Israel's plans to annex settlements.
In the first Saudi reaction to the Israeli-Emirati deal, Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan said on Wednesday that the kingdom remains committed to the Arab Peace Initiative.
Prince Turki is a former ambassador to Washington and a former director of the intelligence service. He does not currently hold any government position, but he remains an influential figure as the current head of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies.
https://ara.reuters.com/article/topNews/idARAKBN25H1IN
Prince Turki Al-Faisal in Manama - Photo from Reuters Archive.
Prince Turki al-Faisal's comments came in an apparent response to US President Donald Trump's statement on Wednesday that he expected Saudi Arabia to join the agreement to normalize diplomatic relations between Israel and the UAE, which the two countries announced last week.
The UAE is the third Arab country to establish full relations with Israel for more than 70 years. Under the US-brokered agreement, Israel suspended plans to annex settlements in the occupied West Bank that the Palestinians want as part of their future state.
The UAE said that Israel's pledge revived the possibility of implementing the two-state solution.
The agreement sparked speculation that other Gulf states backed by the United States would follow the example of the UAE. But Prince Turki said Saudi Arabia expects a greater return from Israel.
He wrote in the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, “If any Arab country is close to catching up with the United Arab Emirates, it must take the price in return, and it must be a dear one.”
He added, "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia set the price for the completion of peace between Israel and the Arabs, which is the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, based on the initiative of the late King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz."
In 2002, the Arab League proposed normalization of relations with Israel in exchange for its withdrawal from all Palestinian lands, which include the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem that it occupied in the 1967 war, and the establishment of a Palestinian state on these lands.
However, Prince Turki expressed his understanding of the UAE's decision, indicating that it had imposed an important condition, which was the suspension of Israel's plans to annex settlements.
In the first Saudi reaction to the Israeli-Emirati deal, Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan said on Wednesday that the kingdom remains committed to the Arab Peace Initiative.
Prince Turki is a former ambassador to Washington and a former director of the intelligence service. He does not currently hold any government position, but he remains an influential figure as the current head of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies.
https://ara.reuters.com/article/topNews/idARAKBN25H1IN
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