RIYADH — The Saudi leadership has made statements about Palestinian statehood before, but Wednesday’s statement clarifying the kingdom’s positions on conditions for normalization with Israel was a direct signal to the White House that achieving such an outcome requires ending the war in Gaza and recognizing a Palestinian state.
The statement outlines the traditional benchmarks that Saudi Arabia has long advocated, such as the call for recognition of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with east Jerusalem as its capital. But it also addresses the war in Gaza, demanding a halt of "Israeli aggression" and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory.
Loud narrators
The confusion has a great deal to do with the nature of Saudi-Israeli relations as defined in Israel and the United States.
