Saudi Arabia Rejects Normalization with Israel Without Palestinian Statehood

Following U.S. President Donald Trump's submission of a civilian nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia to Congress, a source close to the Saudi royal family told N12 that Riyadh's stance on normalization with Israel remains unchanged. The source emphasized that Saudi Arabia will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without the creation of an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. The source clarified that the nuclear agreement is part of the partnership between Riyadh and Washington and should not be linked to relations with Israel.

The Saudi official reiterated that the condition of normalization tied to the nuclear deal does not alter Riyadh's position, which has been consistently communicated to the U.S. Saudi Arabia insists there will be no relations with Israel without Palestinian statehood, a stance described as non-negotiable. The source also noted that given the current right-wing Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu and the lack of significant change regarding the Palestinian issue, normalization is not on the agenda. Riyadh prefers to wait and see the outcome of the upcoming Israeli elections and the new government's position on Palestinian statehood before considering any renewed discussions on normalization.

The submission of the nuclear agreement to Congress initiates a 90-day period for review and debate. If Congress does not reject the deal, it will take effect at the end of this period. Given the president's veto power and the high threshold needed to override it, the likelihood of the agreement being rejected is low.