Saudi Arabia-Israel Normalization Unlikely Under Netanyahu, Source Says

Saudi Arabia's diplomatic agenda does not currently foresee normalization with Israel as long as Benjamin Netanyahu remains Prime Minister, an informed source told Israel's Kan news. The source stated that Saudi Arabia desires peace and negotiations, seeking a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a two-state solution, but believes Netanyahu is not aligned with this approach. The kingdom's stance is based on policy, not personalities, and it is not concerned with the identity of Israel's prime minister. According to the source, Netanyahu is seen as creating problems and seeking escalation rather than peace, making normalization impossible while he leads the current government. This sentiment echoes a previous statement in October 2025, when a Saudi royal family source told Israel's Channel 12 that normalization was possible with a new Israeli government committed to a two-state solution. That source had suggested normalization could occur by late October 2026 if a new government accepted the two-state principle and ended the Middle East crisis. In late October, Saudi Arabia, along with Turkey, Egypt, and Pakistan, issued a joint statement identifying Israel as a primary source of regional instability. However, Dr. Ahmed Al-Khuzai, an analyst specializing in Gulf affairs, told The Jerusalem Post that the kingdom has not entirely abandoned potential future participation in the Abraham Accords. Al-Khuzai explained that the political and diplomatic conditions for normalization have become more complex, emphasizing that Riyadh is unlikely to decouple its relations with Israel from tangible progress on the Palestinian issue. The source concluded that Saudi Arabia is signaling that normalization cannot proceed solely on strategic, economic, or security calculations without a resolution to the Palestinian question.