Tue, September 26, 2023 at 7:17 AM MDT·3 min read
By Ali Sawafta
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's first ambassador to the Palestinians described a decades-old Arab land-for-peace offer on Tuesday as a pillar of any normalisation of ties with Israel, an apparent attempt to signal that Riyadh has not abandoned the Palestinian cause.
Expectations of a landmark U.S.-brokered Saudi-Israeli deal have grown over the last week, though the timing and terms remain murky.
Among complicating factors are calls by Riyadh and Washington for the Palestinians to make diplomatic inroads as part of any deal - a prospect unpalatable to Israel's hardline coalition government.
Saudi Arabia's non-resident ambassador to the Palestinians - a role it unveiled last month - made a first visit to their seat of government in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, presenting credentials also designating him "consul-general in Jerusalem".
That title is touchy as Israel considers all of Jerusalem its own capital and rejects the Palestinians' claim on East Jerusalem as capital of their hoped-for future state.
The ambassador, Nayef Al-Sudairi, told reporters in Ramallah his visit "reaffirms that the Palestinian cause and Palestine and the people of Palestine are of high and important status and that in the coming days there will be a chance for a bigger cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the state of Palestine".
Referring to the prospect of normalisation with Israel, Al-Sudairi said: "It is the normal thing among nations to have peace and stability."
"The Arab initiative, which Saudi Arabia presented in 2002, is a fundamental pillar of any upcoming agreement," he added.
That referred to a proposal aired by Riyadh and later adopted by Arab states widely, under which Israel would get pan-Arab recognition only if it quit territories captured in a 1967 war, including lands where the Palestinians want their state.
Israel has been keen to pursue more peace deals with Arab states without giving up land, having won normalisation from the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, and upgraded ties with Morocco and Sudan, in 2020 despite talks with the Palestinians having been frozen for years.
Dismayed at being sidelined in the 2020 diplomacy, the Palestinians have taken a more active role in the Saudi talks.
In a statement published by the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, President Mahmoud Abbas said Al-Sudairi's visit "will contribute to reinforcing the strong ties between the two countries and the two fraternal peoples".
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen told Kan radio on Tuesday that any Saudi normalisation deal "will be one supported by the right wing" - a reference to religious-nationalist parties in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition that refuse to cede occupied West Bank land to the Palestinians.
In a speech, Netanyahu restated his position that Israeli military and economic prowess, rather than territorial concessions, are the keys to regional statecraft - given, among other factors, shared Arab concerns about the rise of Iran.
"Thanks to this strength, we are deterring our enemies. Thanks to this strength, we are achieving peace with our neighbours," he said.
(Additional reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi; Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Peter Graff)
1st Saudi envoy to the Palestinians in West Bank, Israeli minister in Riyadh amid normalization push
JULIA FRANKEL and ISABEL DEBRE
Updated Tue, September 26, 2023
Nayef al-Sudairi, Saudi Arabia's the first-ever Saudi ambassador to the Palestinian Authority, right, and Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Dr. Riyad Al-Maliki, left, make a joint statement after their meeting in Ramallah, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023. Al-Sudairi visited the Palestinian territories Tuesday to discuss the burgeoning Saudi-Israeli normalization deal, which the kingdom has said will hinge on what concessions Israel is willing to grant the Palestinians.
(AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Saudi Arabia's newly appointed envoy to the Palestinian Authority presented his credentials to President Mahmoud Abbas during his first visit to the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Tuesday, a move linked to recent American efforts to normalize ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
The trip by nonresident Saudi ambassador Nayef al-Sudairi — marking the first time that the Saudi delegation has visited the West Bank since 1967 — came as Israel's tourism minister became the first senior Israeli official to make a public visit to Saudi Arabia.
In a clear sign that a landmark diplomatic deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia has gained momentum, Israel's Tourism Minister Haim Katz on Tuesday led an Israeli delegation to Riyadh to take part in a conference hosted by the United Nations World Tourism Organization. Katz's office described his visit as unprecedented for an Israeli minister and said he would hold discussions with officials from across the Middle East.
Meanwhile the visit by al-Sudairi to Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority, is widely seen as an attempt by the kingdom to address the key sticking point in the Saudi-Israeli normalization deal: Saudi Arabia’s stance toward the Palestinians. The Saudi government has said it will only normalize ties with Israel if there is major progress toward the creation of a Palestinian state.
To kick off his two-day trip, al-Sudairi, who also serves as the Saudi ambassador to Jordan, met with Abbas, the head of the Palestinian Authority that exercises limited autonomy in parts of the West Bank, and other senior officials. Before presenting his credentials, he sought to assure the Palestinians that Saudi Arabia was “working to establish a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital," without elaborating.
“God willing, next time this meeting will take place in Jerusalem,” al-Sudairi told journalists after the meeting.
Nearly two decades ago, Saudi Arabia and other Arab leaders endorsed the Arab Peace Initiative, pledging that there would be no diplomatic recognition of Israel without a just settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Even as Palestinians still live under an open-ended Israeli military occupation in the West Bank, now in its 57th year, and under an Israeli-Egyptian blockade in Gaza, efforts by the United States to establish formal relations for the first time between Israel and Saudi Arabia have escalated. Last week, Netanyahu and President Biden discussed the prospect of an agreement during the Israeli leader's first visit to the U.S. since returning to power last year.
But obstacles to the deal remain. The Saudis are seeking a defense pact with the United States and want help in building their own civilian nuclear program, which has fueled fears of an arms race with Iran.
Saudi Arabia also wants Israel to grant at least some kind of concession to the Palestinians in the West Bank, which Israel captured along with east Jerusalem and Gaza in the 1967 Mideast war.
From Ramallah on Tuesday, al-Sudairi reiterated the kingdom's position in support of the Palestinians, describing the Arab Peace Initiative as a “fundamental pillar of any agreement.”
Yet any effort to grant the Palestinians greater autonomy would be met with strong opposition by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right, ultranationalist government. Powerful Cabinet ministers have imposed sanctions on the Palestinian Authority and called openly for the annexation of parts of the West Bank.
Officials Tuesday were tight-lipped about the kinds of concessions under discussion, instead praising bilateral ties. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki hailed the visit as a “historic milestone."
“He is here to begin work developing relations between our countries,” al-Maliki said of the ambassador. “It is a major responsibility, to preserve the Palestinian cause.”
The Palestinian Authority also has not specified what it is willing to accept from the Israeli government. President Abbas said at the United Nations General Assembly in New York last week that there can be no Mideast peace without his people enjoying their “full and legitimate national rights.”
Netanyahu, meanwhile, has staked his legacy on Israel's normalization of ties with Arab states as an alternative to negotiating with the Palestinians. In 2020, Israel forged relations with three Arab countries, including the Gulf Arab states of United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
Those deals have helped end years of Israel's isolation in the region and raised hopes that Saudi Arabia — the Sunni powerhouse home to Islam’s most important religious sites — and other Arab states that have long refused to recognize Israel would make similar moves.
The visit by Tourism Minister Katz to Riyadh appeared to further accelerate the countries' push for normalization. Before taking off for Saudi Arabia, Katz described tourism as a “bridge between nations.”
“Partnership in tourism issues has the potential to bring hearts together and economic prosperity,” he said.
When asked about Katz's visit, Ahmad Deek, the director-general of the Palestinian Foreign Ministry, said that the Palestinian Authority “is in continuous dialogue" about the developments with Saudi officials and “trusts in their support for the rights of our people.”
___
DeBre reported from Jerusalem.
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Saudi Arabia's newly appointed envoy to the Palestinian Authority presented his credentials to President Mahmoud Abbas during his first visit to the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Tuesday, a move linked to recent American efforts to normalize ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
The trip by nonresident Saudi ambassador Nayef al-Sudairi — marking the first time that the Saudi delegation has visited the West Bank since 1967 — came as Israel's tourism minister became the first senior Israeli official to make a public visit to Saudi Arabia.
In a clear sign that a landmark diplomatic deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia has gained momentum, Israel's Tourism Minister Haim Katz on Tuesday led an Israeli delegation to Riyadh to take part in a conference hosted by the United Nations World Tourism Organization. Katz's office described his visit as unprecedented for an Israeli minister and said he would hold discussions with officials from across the Middle East.
Meanwhile the visit by al-Sudairi to Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority, is widely seen as an attempt by the kingdom to address the key sticking point in the Saudi-Israeli normalization deal: Saudi Arabia’s stance toward the Palestinians. The Saudi government has said it will only normalize ties with Israel if there is major progress toward the creation of a Palestinian state.
To kick off his two-day trip, al-Sudairi, who also serves as the Saudi ambassador to Jordan, met with Abbas, the head of the Palestinian Authority that exercises limited autonomy in parts of the West Bank, and other senior officials. Before presenting his credentials, he sought to assure the Palestinians that Saudi Arabia was “working to establish a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital," without elaborating.
“God willing, next time this meeting will take place in Jerusalem,” al-Sudairi told journalists after the meeting.
Nearly two decades ago, Saudi Arabia and other Arab leaders endorsed the Arab Peace Initiative, pledging that there would be no diplomatic recognition of Israel without a just settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Even as Palestinians still live under an open-ended Israeli military occupation in the West Bank, now in its 57th year, and under an Israeli-Egyptian blockade in Gaza, efforts by the United States to establish formal relations for the first time between Israel and Saudi Arabia have escalated. Last week, Netanyahu and President Biden discussed the prospect of an agreement during the Israeli leader's first visit to the U.S. since returning to power last year.
But obstacles to the deal remain. The Saudis are seeking a defense pact with the United States and want help in building their own civilian nuclear program, which has fueled fears of an arms race with Iran.
Saudi Arabia also wants Israel to grant at least some kind of concession to the Palestinians in the West Bank, which Israel captured along with east Jerusalem and Gaza in the 1967 Mideast war.
From Ramallah on Tuesday, al-Sudairi reiterated the kingdom's position in support of the Palestinians, describing the Arab Peace Initiative as a “fundamental pillar of any agreement.”
Yet any effort to grant the Palestinians greater autonomy would be met with strong opposition by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right, ultranationalist government. Powerful Cabinet ministers have imposed sanctions on the Palestinian Authority and called openly for the annexation of parts of the West Bank.
Officials Tuesday were tight-lipped about the kinds of concessions under discussion, instead praising bilateral ties. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki hailed the visit as a “historic milestone."
“He is here to begin work developing relations between our countries,” al-Maliki said of the ambassador. “It is a major responsibility, to preserve the Palestinian cause.”
The Palestinian Authority also has not specified what it is willing to accept from the Israeli government. President Abbas said at the United Nations General Assembly in New York last week that there can be no Mideast peace without his people enjoying their “full and legitimate national rights.”
Netanyahu, meanwhile, has staked his legacy on Israel's normalization of ties with Arab states as an alternative to negotiating with the Palestinians. In 2020, Israel forged relations with three Arab countries, including the Gulf Arab states of United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
Those deals have helped end years of Israel's isolation in the region and raised hopes that Saudi Arabia — the Sunni powerhouse home to Islam’s most important religious sites — and other Arab states that have long refused to recognize Israel would make similar moves.
The visit by Tourism Minister Katz to Riyadh appeared to further accelerate the countries' push for normalization. Before taking off for Saudi Arabia, Katz described tourism as a “bridge between nations.”
“Partnership in tourism issues has the potential to bring hearts together and economic prosperity,” he said.
When asked about Katz's visit, Ahmad Deek, the director-general of the Palestinian Foreign Ministry, said that the Palestinian Authority “is in continuous dialogue" about the developments with Saudi officials and “trusts in their support for the rights of our people.”
___
DeBre reported from Jerusalem.
Saudi envoy seeks to reassure Palestinians amid talks with Israel
Hossam EZZEDINE
Tue, September 26, 2023
Saudi ambassador Nayef bin Bandar al-Sudairi speaks to journalists, joined by Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki, on the left
(AHMAD GHARABLI)
A Saudi envoy on a rare visit to the occupied West Bank pledged Tuesday that the Palestinian cause will be "a cornerstone" of any normalisation deal the oil-rich kingdom may strike with Israel.
The delegation headed by Nayef al-Sudairi was Saudi Arabia's first in three decades to the West Bank, which Israel has occupied along with other territories since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
The visit comes as Washington has urged its Middle East allies Israel and Saudi Arabia to normalise diplomatic relations, following on from similar deals involving the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco.
The Palestinians have labelled those agreements a betrayal of their quest for statehood -- but Sudairi sought to reassure them that Riyadh stands by their side.
"The Palestinian matter is a fundamental pillar," Sudairi told journalists after meeting top Palestinian diplomat Riyad al-Maliki in Ramallah.
"And it's certain that the Arab initiative, which was presented by the kingdom in 2002, is a cornerstone of any upcoming deal."
The 2002 initiative proposed Arab relations with Israel in exchange for its withdrawal from the West Bank, east Jerusalem, Gaza and the Golan Heights, and a just resolution for the Palestinians.
Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas, 87, last week again stressed strong reservations to Arab countries building ties with Israel.
"Those who think that peace can prevail in the Middle East without the Palestinian people enjoying their full, legitimate national rights would be mistaken," Abbas told the UN General Assembly in New York.
- 'Getting closer' -
Sudairi, the Saudi envoy to Jordan, was last month also named ambassador for the Palestinian territories and consul general for Jerusalem.
His delegation, which crossed overland from Jordan, was the first from Saudi Arabia to visit the West Bank since the 1993 Oslo Accords, which had aimed to pave the way for an end to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
When asked whether there will be a Saudi embassy in Jerusalem, Sudairi recalled that there used to be a one in the Jerusalem district of Sheikh Jarrah, and said that "hopefully there will be an embassy there" again.
Washington has been leading the talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia -- the guardian of Islam's two holiest sites -- on a potential normalisation seen as a game changer for the Middle East.
The talks have covered security guarantees for Saudi Arabia and assistance with a civilian nuclear programme, according to officials familiar with the negotiations who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity.
The Saudi crown prince and de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman, last week told US network Fox that the kingdom was getting "closer" to a deal with Israel but insisted that the Palestinian cause remains "very important" for Riyadh.
In recent months Israel has sent delegations to Saudi Arabia to participate in sports and other events, including a UNESCO meeting.
- 'Circle of peace' -
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the United Nations on Friday that he believes "we are at the cusp" of "a historic peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia".
Speaking Tuesday at a ceremony to mark the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, he said "many states in the Middle East want peace with Israel".
"Increasing the circle of peace is a historic opportunity and I'm committed to it."
The 1993 Oslo Accords were meant to lead to an independent Palestinian state, but years of stalled negotiations and deadly violence have left any peaceful resolution a distant dream.
Netanyahu's hard-right government has been expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank which are deemed illegal under international law.
A recent escalation in violence has seen at least 242 Palestinians and 32 Israelis killed so far this year, according to official sources on both sides.
The United States, which has brokered talks between Israel and the Palestinians in the past, has made no major push toward a two-state solution since a failed effort nearly a decade ago.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967 and later annexed east Jerusalem in a move not recognised internationally.
It also maintains a blockade on the Palestinian coastal territory of Gaza, which is ruled by militant group Hamas.
he-jd/jjm/fz
A Saudi envoy on a rare visit to the occupied West Bank pledged Tuesday that the Palestinian cause will be "a cornerstone" of any normalisation deal the oil-rich kingdom may strike with Israel.
The delegation headed by Nayef al-Sudairi was Saudi Arabia's first in three decades to the West Bank, which Israel has occupied along with other territories since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
The visit comes as Washington has urged its Middle East allies Israel and Saudi Arabia to normalise diplomatic relations, following on from similar deals involving the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco.
The Palestinians have labelled those agreements a betrayal of their quest for statehood -- but Sudairi sought to reassure them that Riyadh stands by their side.
"The Palestinian matter is a fundamental pillar," Sudairi told journalists after meeting top Palestinian diplomat Riyad al-Maliki in Ramallah.
"And it's certain that the Arab initiative, which was presented by the kingdom in 2002, is a cornerstone of any upcoming deal."
The 2002 initiative proposed Arab relations with Israel in exchange for its withdrawal from the West Bank, east Jerusalem, Gaza and the Golan Heights, and a just resolution for the Palestinians.
Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas, 87, last week again stressed strong reservations to Arab countries building ties with Israel.
"Those who think that peace can prevail in the Middle East without the Palestinian people enjoying their full, legitimate national rights would be mistaken," Abbas told the UN General Assembly in New York.
- 'Getting closer' -
Sudairi, the Saudi envoy to Jordan, was last month also named ambassador for the Palestinian territories and consul general for Jerusalem.
His delegation, which crossed overland from Jordan, was the first from Saudi Arabia to visit the West Bank since the 1993 Oslo Accords, which had aimed to pave the way for an end to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
When asked whether there will be a Saudi embassy in Jerusalem, Sudairi recalled that there used to be a one in the Jerusalem district of Sheikh Jarrah, and said that "hopefully there will be an embassy there" again.
Washington has been leading the talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia -- the guardian of Islam's two holiest sites -- on a potential normalisation seen as a game changer for the Middle East.
The talks have covered security guarantees for Saudi Arabia and assistance with a civilian nuclear programme, according to officials familiar with the negotiations who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity.
The Saudi crown prince and de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman, last week told US network Fox that the kingdom was getting "closer" to a deal with Israel but insisted that the Palestinian cause remains "very important" for Riyadh.
In recent months Israel has sent delegations to Saudi Arabia to participate in sports and other events, including a UNESCO meeting.
- 'Circle of peace' -
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the United Nations on Friday that he believes "we are at the cusp" of "a historic peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia".
Speaking Tuesday at a ceremony to mark the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, he said "many states in the Middle East want peace with Israel".
"Increasing the circle of peace is a historic opportunity and I'm committed to it."
The 1993 Oslo Accords were meant to lead to an independent Palestinian state, but years of stalled negotiations and deadly violence have left any peaceful resolution a distant dream.
Netanyahu's hard-right government has been expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank which are deemed illegal under international law.
A recent escalation in violence has seen at least 242 Palestinians and 32 Israelis killed so far this year, according to official sources on both sides.
The United States, which has brokered talks between Israel and the Palestinians in the past, has made no major push toward a two-state solution since a failed effort nearly a decade ago.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967 and later annexed east Jerusalem in a move not recognised internationally.
It also maintains a blockade on the Palestinian coastal territory of Gaza, which is ruled by militant group Hamas.
he-jd/jjm/fz
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