IN a recent interview, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said that ongoing negotiations to normalize ties with Israel are getting closer every day.
However, the Crown Prince emphasized that the issue concerning Palestinians needs to be resolved and remains a “very important” factor for Riyadh to pursue the peace deal.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also expressed confidence in reaching a historic peace deal between the Jewish State and the oil-rich kingdom.
The proposed peace deal comes three years after Israel and several Arab states signed the historic Abraham Accords facilitated by former US President Donald Trump at the White House three years ago.
The deal saw four Arab states, which include the UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco, joining Egypt and Jordan in making a peace deal with Israel.
Three years on, Washington presses ahead with an effort to broker historic ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel, an initiative that critics say could put Palestinians under the wheel and serve the interests of the United States.
Palestinians are demanding a cash boost of hundreds of millions of dollars and more control of land in the occupied West Bank as part of the three-way deal involving the US, Saudi Arabia, and Israel.
Palestine also wants to be recognized by the United Nations as a full member state.
Meanwhile, Iran warned Saudi Arabia against normalizing ties with Israel and accused the kingdom of betraying the Palestinians through the US-led effort.
Saudi Arabia on the other hand denied suspending talks concerning the proposed treaty with Israel and warned that the kingdom will acquire a nuclear weapon if Iran gets one first.
Israel and Saudi Arabia have never established diplomatic relations since the creation of the Jewish state in 1948 but talks are underway for a historic peace treaty between the two countries.
