The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ruled out on Wednesday the normalisation of its relations with Israel before the establishment of a Palestinian state, and at the same time pledged to mobilise international public opinion against the occupation state’s violations against the Palestinians. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan said that the establishment of a Palestinian state is the Kingdom’s condition for moving forward with normalisation with Israel, and stressed his country’s rejection of the genocide committed by the Israeli army.
The Saudi Al-Ekhbariya channel quoted Bin Farhan as saying that Riyadh will mobilise international public opinion against Israel’s actions against the Palestinian people. This coincided with a call made by Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to hold an Arab and Islamic summit in Riyadh on 11 November to discuss the ongoing Israeli offensive against Palestine and Lebanon.
According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the government in Riyadh “reiterates its condemnation and denunciation of the ongoing crimes and violations against the Palestinian people by the Israeli occupation forces, and the Israeli assaults and violations against our Lebanese brothers.”
The first meeting of the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution launched by Saudi Arabia was inaugurated on Tuesday, with the aim of applying pressure for the establishment of a Palestinian state, according to official media. The Saudi foreign minister announced the alliance at the UN General Assembly in September, pointing out that it includes Arab, Islamic and European countries.
In his speech during the opening of the assembly, Bin Farhan insisted that the escalation of Israeli violence and violations in Palestine and Lebanon, in addition to the expansion of the conflict regionally, requires the international community to take a firm stand to end the violations that undermine the chances of the two-state solution and push towards more instability.
He also stressed the need for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the policy of impunity, while affirming the Kingdom’s support for UNRWA and its vital role in providing humanitarian aid, considering the challenges it faces in the occupied Palestinian territories.
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