Jewish men cover themselves with prayer shawls hold the four plant species – palm leave stalk, citrus, myrtle and willow branches as they take part in the Hoshana Rabbah pray, (on the seventh day of Sukkot) at the entrance to the temple mount in Jerusalem’s Old City on Oct. 23, 2024. Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90
Standing on the tarmac in Tel Aviv as he departed for Riyadh on Wednesday, U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken urged Israel to seize the “incredible opportunity” to normalize its relations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Blinken had surprisingly changed his travel plans, postponing a planned visit to Jordan due to “scheduling constraints,” and instead, traveling to the Saudi capital after meeting with Israel’s leadership on Tuesday.
In recent days, the Biden administration appeared to be trying to leverage the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar to kickstart new efforts to reach a hostage-release deal, while also re-energizing the negotiations around a U.S.-Saudi deal that would include normalizing ties.
Today @IsraeliPM Netanyahu and I talked about the importance of seizing this opportunity to end the conflict in Gaza, return all hostages, and chart a path to lasting peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike. pic.twitter.com/FVaJYdtg8P
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) October 22, 2024
However, the Saudi Kingdom publicly condemned Israel several times in recent days, with the most recent condemnation occurring on Monday.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry expressed its “strongest condemnation of the Israeli occupation forces’ shelling of homes in the town of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip,” amid a large-scale operation by the IDF to dismantle Hamas’ last remaining infrastructure while evacuating the civilians.
In addition, the Saudi ministry condemned “the settlers’ storming of the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque, reiterating its denunciation of the ongoing blatant violations of international law and international humanitarian law by the occupation forces and authorities.”
#Statement | The Foreign Ministry expresses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s strongest condemnation of the Israeli occupation forces’ shelling of homes in the town of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip. The Kingdom also condemns the settlers’ storming of the courtyards of Al-Aqsa… pic.twitter.com/FH0BMvfZ0l
— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) October 21, 2024
This came on the heels of reports, later refuted by his office, that National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir had ascended the Temple Mount in Jerusalem together with hundreds of Jews during the Succot holiday.
“The Kingdom calls on the international community, particularly the permanent members of the Security Council, to hold the occupation accountable for its serious and ongoing violations against Islamic holy sites and innocent civilians in the State of Palestine and calls for an immediate ceasefire,” the kingdom stated.
Although the statement employed sharp diplomatic language, the tone was not unusual, as Saudi Arabia has consistently reiterated its public stance of supporting the Palestinians and demanding a two-state solution as a precondition for normalization with Israel. This is despite reports suggesting that, behind the scenes, the leadership doesn’t really care about the Palestinian issue.
Negotiations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, which seemed close to success before the current conflict began, were halted following the Hamas invasion and attack on Oct. 7 of last year.
However, in recent days the issue has received new attention.
Last week, a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers visited Israel, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, led by Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA).
Panetta told the Jewish Insider that regarding normalization, “things have changed” in the year since the war broke out.
He said that while Saudi Arabia is willing to move ahead, “now the Palestinian issue is at the forefront, and that’s something that they have to take into account as one of the cornerstones of any negotiation for their normalization, one of many now. So I think it’s more of a factor when it comes to their willingness to have normalization with Israel.”
While “hurdles are a bit taller now after Oct. 7,” Panetta noted that this “doesn’t mean we can’t get over [the hurdles] if we have the political will.”
Former U.S. President Donald Trump also recently stated that expanding the Abraham Accords would be “an absolute priority” if he were to win the upcoming presidential election.
Speaking with the Saudi Al-Arabiya channel, he said: “Everyone wants to be in it,” and claimed he would have added “12 to 15 countries literally within a period of a year” if he had remained president of the U.S.
“If I win, that will be an absolute priority,” he added. “It’s peace in the Middle East – we need it.”
Trump also praised Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has effectively taken over the kingdom’s leadership, calling him a “visionary” and a “great guy” who is “respected worldwide.”
