Saudi officials have “told their US counterparts that Riyadh would not insist Israel take concrete steps to create a Palestinian state.” On the surface, this offer seems to be a golden opportunity for Israel to embrace the so-called two-state solution, with the help of the US and Saudi Arabia, in exchange for peace. Yet taking Saudi Arabia’s words at face value is a mistake at best, and could potentially make Israel out to be the sole obstacle to peace. The plan is not as simple as it may initially appear when one reads beyond the headline, in an era where far too many only read headlines. “Saudi Arabia willing to make concessions on Palestinians for peace with Israel,” by Reuters, February 2, 2024:
Saudi Arabia would be willing to accept a political commitment from Israel to create a Palestinian state, rather than anything more binding, in a bid to get a defense pact with Washington approved before the US presidential election….Months of US-led diplomacy to get Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with Israel and recognize the country for the first time were shelved by Riyadh in October in the face of mounting Arab anger over the war in Gaza.
But Saudi Arabia is increasingly keen to shore up its security and ward off threats from rival Iran so the kingdom can forge ahead with its ambitious plan to transform its economy and attract huge foreign investment, two regional sources said…..
“Normalization does require really – if not legally, at least politically – a commitment from the Israelis that they are open to a two-state solution,” said one of the senior regional sources familiar with Saudi thinking.
“If Israel stopped its military offensive on Gaza – or at least declared a ceasefire – it would make it easier for Saudi Arabia to go ahead with the deal,” the person said.
Israel has not been historically opposed to a two-state solution. The Palestinians, meanwhile, have always made it clear that they sought a one-state solution, that is, the total eradication of Israel, “From the River to the Sea.” Each and every time that Israel surrendered land for peace, the Palestinians abused their show of good faith and used their concessions as an opportunity to attack Israeli citizens. The ongoing pay-for-slay program is an exhibit of Palestinian intent.
Although the Saudis are said to be proposing a deal “without anything binding,” this is not accurate. The catch is the demand for an Israeli ceasefire. Israel has been clear it is not willing to negotiate regarding any plan that includes a ceasefire, which would put Israel at ongoing risk. A ceasefire would aid only Hamas and Joe Biden, who has been bending over backwards, even prior to October 7, to secure a normalization deal at any cost, in order to aid his election campaign. A normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia would reshape the Middle East and give the Biden administration new influence, particularly “at a time when China is making inroads in the region.” Saudi Arabia also would stand to gain economically from Israel, as well as gain resources to help it keep its rival Iran in line. If such an agreement were concluded, Saudi Arabia, which is in many ways the most prominent Sunni state, would need to assuage Wahhabis globally; by demonstrating that it pressured Israel into a ceasefire, both Biden and the Saudis would achieve new status and clout in the turbulent Middle East and beyond.
At the moment, Saudi Arabia is also a risk to Israel.
- Weeks prior to October 7, in an updated official map, Saudi Arabia showed Israel erased, with “Palestine” in its place, despite the normalization talks. Recall that Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have already declared Palestinian statehood, as has the UN. In 2012, the 193-nation U.N. General Assembly “overwhelmingly approved the de facto recognition of the sovereign state of Palestine after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on the world body to issue its long overdue ‘birth certificate.'”
- On October 13, Saudi Arabia was reported to be “putting U.S.-backed plans to normalise ties with Israel on ice….signalling a rapid rethinking of its foreign policy priorities as war escalates between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas.” The war on Hamas was also claimed to have “pushed the kingdom to engage with Iran. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman took his first phone call from Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi,” as the kingdom tried “to prevent a broader surge in violence across the region.”
- In April, Saudi Arabia hosted a senior Hamas delegation in an effort “to mend Hamas’s relationship with Riyadh, which has been frosty since 2007.” On the guest list was “Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh, his deputy Saleh al-Arouri, and the head of the group abroad, Khaled Mashaal.” About three weeks following the meeting, Saudi Arabia decided to release more Hamas-linked prisoners. In May 2022, Saudi Arabia released senior Hamas official Mohammad al-Khudary from prison on health grounds. Less than three months prior to that, the Saudis freed two jailed Palestinians who were linked to Hamas. Izzat al-Rashq, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, said at the time: “We hope these positive steps will continue and the rest of the Palestinians [detained in Saudi Arabia] will soon be released.”
Days ago, UK foreign secretary and former Prime Minister David Cameron announced that Britain “would consider recognizing a Palestinian state to create ‘irreversible progress’ toward an end to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.” Upon his appointment as Foreign Secretary in November, the globalist Cameron’s deep ties to China drew scrutiny within his own party, so his motives are questionable at best. “Recognizing a Palestinian state” would not end the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The Islamic war against Jews is the reason for the conflict that seeks to eradicate Israel “from the River to the Sea.” The Palestinian determination to eradicate Jews from the region where they have ancient roots predates the founding of the modern State of Israel in 1948. Such talk is mere fodder for the mass media to soak up and plug into headlines in order to sway public opinion with propaganda.
Egyptian author and philosopher Youssef Ziedan stated: “The Jews sanctified Jerusalem, and we came after them and said it’s ours. Who even are you? The Jews laugh at us for this. We saw them sanctifying Jerusalem and followed.” Ziedan has also noted that there is “no connection” between the Temple Mount and Islam, and that “the only reason why Muslims insist on the sanctity of Jerusalem is simply politics.” The politics to drive Jews out of their ancestral homeland has nothing to do with a two-state solution; it is part of the one-state solution.
Last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated the reality regarding the two-state solution:
In any future arrangement … Israel needs security control of all territory west of the Jordan [River]….This collides with the idea of sovereignty. What can you do?…For 30 years, I have been consistent, saying one simple thing: this conflict is not about a lack of a state, but about the existence of a state. Every territory we pull out from, we get terror, terrible terror against us. It happened in southern Lebanon, it happened in the Gaza Strip, and it happened in [the West Bank] when we did it, in parts.
The prospect of normalization with Saudi Arabia simply serves to put further pressure on Israel to comply with the UN and the OIC, neither of which have Israel’s best interests at heart. Pressure toward a two-state solution while Israel is at war with Hamas is a grand set-up, as it singles out Israel as the obstacle to peace, when that is not the case.
Wellington says
Close call who’s the bigger snake here—Saudi Arabia or the Biden Administration.
Mike says
When Trump was President, he should have pressured whatever agencies that have “blacked out” documents relating to official Saudi participation in the 9/11 terror attacks (if any) to release those documents to open scrutiny, and paved the way to filing lawsuits and international criminal charges against any Saudi Princes or officials who may have taken part in the attacks, apart from the late Osama bin Laden.
Reziac says
The problem is that if you toss all the Saudi princes in jail, things will get worse. As I note in another comment (maybe still stuck in moderation), per what I’ve heard the current prince wishes to secularize the country and bring it into the modern era, but is prevented from doing so by the old guard and traditionalists, who would assassinate him if he tried it.
Mike says
Well, perhaps not throw all of them in prison, but heavily sue and fine them in order to compensate the people who lost family members, for New York businesses which were damaged, and for the estimated 300,000 people (New Yorkers and others who were in New York at the time) who are suffering from pulmonary and other illnesses such as cancer, as a result of pollution from the terror attacks. There are also the people who were killed at the Pentagon, and the brave passengers who died on the third plane, while tackling the terrorists and bringing it down before it could hit the White House.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
While there were members of Saudi royalty who may have been indirectly involved in 9/11, chances are that King Salman and MbS were not amongst them. Also, while the Saudis (like the Pakis) did play a double game during King Abdullah, the indications are that MbS has completely turned things around
In fact, it might strengthen MbS if he gets to turn in all his relatives who were involved in it: chances are that they were the Wahabi hardliners, who today would be standing b/w him & reforms
jule says
It would just be another State for Islam since Gaza is no longer old “Palestine” or the holy land but colonized by Islam of one of the worst being Muslim Brothers/Hamas with all the jihad gangs.
joanofark06 says
Finally, a comment I could agree with!
࿗Infidel࿘ says
I still have fingers crossed on Saudi Arabia. My reading of it is that they’re willing to normalize things w/ Israel when there is a pro-Israel administration in DC, and when they can tell their Arab allies that that’s where the power is. But when there is an anti-Israel administration in DC, it’s harder for Riyadh to be less anti-Israel than DC
We need to see an end to the Biden Administration before we can think, much less talk, about Israel normalizing relations w/ its Arab neighbors
Reziac says
I think the Saudi royals have become tired of being regarded as barbarians. My understanding is that the current prince wishes to secularize the country (having some understanding that pervasive Islam holds them back), but is prevented from doing so because he’d be promptly assassinated.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
I think you’re right about MbS, but I also think that he’s playing a very politically astute game. During Trump, he was on his best behavior (aside from the Khashoggi murder). When Biden turned on him, he turned to China, & gave them their biggest coup in 2 aspects: he allowed them to trade in Renminbi for the oil he sold them, and he allowed them to mediate a deal w/ Iran. Oh, & also, previously, Saudi Arabia used to be the guarantor of the US$ being the world’s reserve currency: MbS put an end to that, and now you have the entire “de-dollarization” movement going on in the rest of the world
chelseaboy says
Would Trump be a “pro Israeli ” administration?
He failed last time, why would it be any different?
James Lincoln says
chelseaboy,
How did Pres. Trump “fail” Israel?
Citations?
Keys says
What are you talking about, chelseaboy?
Bibi Netanyahu said Trump is a great friend of Israel.
Trump put the US Embassy in Jerusalem even under hysteric pressure not to do so.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-hails-trump-as-a-true-friend-of-israel/
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Netanyahu-Trump-is-a-great-friend-of-the-Jewish-people-481681
Even CNN reported as such; probably as if it were a despicable thing:
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Netanyahu-Trump-is-a-great-friend-of-the-Jewish-people-481681
gravenimage says
Trump’s administration *was* very pro-Israel. In what way was it not?
ElderlyZionist says
That was insightful. +1.
joanofark06 says
I agree totally with your last statement. And it’s almost prophetic! I’ve only been writing what I feel I was shown, on the day Trump had to leave office.
Every President, has tried and failed to make peace between Israel and Palestine, since President Carter days (Except for today’s “president”, who will get skipped over, by God, because of the fake election, the lies, and evil of OBiden, and guess who MUST come back in, and finish what he started? Answer below..)
Now, before Trump left office, he had made a “peace agreement”, and he got a few leaders, in the Middle East to sign it. But then, he had to leave office.
(Anyone know the name he gave his peace agreement? Why did he name it that, when he’s not a Christian? A sign? I have another sign too..)
Now, Trump HAS TO come back, and finish what he started. (But first, he said on Day One, he has work on the deportation, which might take awhile), but at some point, he will pick up his peace “agreement”, and gather many more signatures, of “rich and powerful” leaders in the Middle East, that want peace with Israel.
Once he has enough signatures (I don’t know how many, but “enough”), this is when he hands over his peace “agreement” to ALL of these many “rich and powerful” leaders of the Middle East.
His job is over. He has the torch, and he lit it, and now he passes it on.
What happens next? All of those leaders, look at the leader of Palestine, and ask “What say you”?
And since this Palestinian leader, has been saying NO to peace with Israel, since President Carter days, he says NO once more.
But THIS TIME, these MANY rich and powerful leaders of the Middle East (who are tired of these two countries fighting all the time), take this leaders arm and twist it around to his back…so to speak, but actually they will HURT him, either financially or economically or both, until he SCREAMS YESSS, he will sign!
(Now you know why all of those leaders, had to be rich and powerful!)
Out comes a 7 year peace treaty, made in advance, both men sit down and sign it, not knowing what they’ve done. The 7 year Tribulation now begins, per bible prophecy. Or as I call it, “the beginning of the end”, which anyone can read the Book of Revelation, to know what happens now.
Wanna know why, so MANY have so much hate and anger toward Trump, so much so, that they’ll say terrible lies about him, AND try to take him off the ballot, and anything else they can think of, to keep him from being President? What has he ever done to deserve all this hate and anger? Through all of it, he’s hung in there, not losing his cool, and it looks like he might win. Why? Because he HAS TO come back, and finish what he started!
But think, has this EVER happened to any one man in our history?? Why him, and why now? I doubt anyone here wants to know, right? I know.
Reziac says
I have a better idea. Dump all the Palestinians in Yemen. Let them fight it out. Let the Saudis annex whoever is left, in exchange for giving Gaza back to Israel.
Two festering boils lanced at once.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Better idea: dump them in Qatar. The al-Thanis, who have money to throw at our Ivy League and towards dawa & jihad activities worldwide – let them be up to their noses dealing w/ a new refugee crisis that essentially transforms Qatar into “Palestine”
jule says
Who needs another State of Islam. Gaza is no longer “Palestine”
OLD GUY says
I might believe the Saudis went moderate after about fifty years.
gravenimage says
Yes–I’d take all of this with a *very* large grain of salt.
Dan says
Saudis really want Israel to wipe Gazans off the face of the Earth