Saudi Arabia’s Top Diplomat Demands Israel Set a Path Toward a Palestinian Arab State 

The dispute over Gaza’s future pits Israel against its top ally, America, as well as much of the international community and poses a major obstacle to any plans for postwar governance of the coastal enclave.

AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
The Saudi foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, on December 8, 2023, at Washington. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

JERUSALEM — Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat said the kingdom would not normalize relations with Israel or contribute to Gaza’s reconstruction without a credible pathway to a Palestinian Arab state — a nonstarter for Israel’s government.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan’s remarks in an interview with CNN broadcast late Sunday were some of the most direct yet from Saudi officials. Prime Minister Netanyahu — who faces mounting domestic pressure over the plight of Israeli hostages, including an angry protest inside a parliamentary committee meeting on Monday — has rejected Palestinian Arab statehood.

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