Saudi crown prince says no ties with Israel without a Palestinian state

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday said the kingdom would not recognize Israel without a Palestinian state and strongly condemned the “crimes of the Israeli occupation” against the Palestinian people.

“The kingdom will not stop its tireless work towards the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and we affirm that the kingdom will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without that,” the crown prince, known as MBS, says.

After the eruption of war last October between Israel and Hamas, Saudi Arabia put on ice US-backed plans for the kingdom to normalize ties with Israel, two sources familiar with Riyadh’s thinking said earlier this year, in a swift reordering of its diplomatic priorities.

MBS, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, had said just weeks before the fighting broke out that Riyadh was getting closer to a deal.

The two sources told Reuters there would be some delay in the US-backed talks on normalization of Saudi-Israel ties, which is seen as a key step for the kingdom to secure what it considers the real prize of a US defense pact in exchange.

MBS makes the remarks at an annual speech to the advisory Shura Council, which he gave on behalf of his father, King Salman.

The council swore an oath of office before MBS before he addressed it.