Middle-East

Saudi Arabia amplifies support for Palestine, criticises Israel's stance

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud at a past event. (Reuters)

By Mwangi Maina | Thursday, May 30, 2024

On Monday, Faisal expressed concern that Israel does not recognise that the security it seeks comes through a two-state solution.

Saudi Arabia is intensifying its stance, elevating the stakes, and speaking out prominently on the Palestine issue.

During a visit to Madrid on Wednesday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan expressed gratitude to Ireland, Norway, and Spain for their recognition of a Palestinian state, stating that they were "on the right side of history."

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This coordinated diplomatic move on Tuesday by these three Western European countries, believed to have a significant symbolic impact, has drawn criticism from Israel.

"We are here to say thank you to Spain for giving hope in a very dark time," Prince Faisal told reporters in Madrid.

He was accompanied by his peers from Jordan, Qatar, Turkey, and the Palestinian Authority before they held talks with Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares.

"We are here to say thank you to Spain and Norway and Ireland and Slovenia for taking the right decision, at the right time, for being on the right side of history, for being on the right side of justice," he reiterated.

Slovenia's government approved a decree this month to recognise a Palestinian state, which will be submitted to parliament on Thursday for an anticipated vote in the coming days.

Prior to their meeting with the Spanish counterpart, the Arab ministers convened with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

On Monday, Faisal expressed concern that Israel does not recognise that the security it seeks comes through a two-state solution.

"It is absolutely necessary that Israel accepts that it cannot exist without the existence of a Palestinian state," the top Saudi diplomat told reporters in Brussels.

"Its security is served by building a Palestinian state. So we hope sincerely that the leaders of Israel will realise that it is in their interest to work with the international community, not just to strengthen the Palestinian Authority but to establish a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders," he added.

Saudi officials have repeatedly called for a halt to the war and led Arab nations to accuse Israel of committing war crimes in Gaza. They fear that the brutal images emerging from the shattered territory will radicalise their young population.

Saudi Arabia has long been considered the grand prize for Israel. As the Arab world's biggest economy and home to Islam's two holiest sites, a decision by the Kingdom to normalise relations with the Jewish state would have far-reaching effects.

Riyadh maintains there will be no recognition of Israel without a two-state solution.