Israel and Saudi Arabia deny report claiming ‘breakthrough’ in normalization talks

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office and Saudi Arabia have both denied a report that claimed there has been a “breakthrough” in US-brokered normalization talks between Jerusalem and Riyadh.

Haaretz claimed earlier that Saudi Arabia has given up its longtime demand for the creation of a Palestinian state as a precondition for a normalization of ties with Israel, instead making do with a vague Israeli promise of a “pathway toward a Palestinian state.”

After right-wing reporters, and politicians including Avigdor Liberman, understood the report to mean Netanyahu has agreed to promise a Palestinian state, the Prime Minister’s Office calls the report “a complete lie,” adding: “Prime Minister Netanyahu has worked and is working against the establishment of a Palestinian state that will endanger Israel’s security.”

Meanwhile, the Saudis also strongly deny the report, saying there has been no breakthrough.

“The notion that the kingdom’s leadership has somehow modified its longstanding commitment to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state is equally baseless,” a statement issued to reporters by an unnamed Saudi official says.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will continue to work towards ending the war in Gaza and helping the Palestinian people achieve their right to an independent state,” the statement adds.