No diplomatic ties with Israel untill 2 State solution: Saudi Arabia

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia asserted before the US that there would be no diplomatic relations between the Kingdom and Israel unless the two-state solution is implemented with 1967 borders with East Jerusalem. The Kingdom also demanded that Israel stop its invasion of Gaza, Reuters reported, citing a Saudi foreign ministry statement on Wednesday.

This came after US White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby stated on Tuesday that Washington received positive feedback that Saudi Arabia and Israel are willing to follow up on their normalisation discussions.

Saudi Ministry also stated in its Wednesday statement that it affirmed its position in the Gaza war because of the comments made by Kirby.

According to Reuters, Saudi gave its quiet approval to its neighbours United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to establish ties with Israel in 2020. This has led to speculations that the Kingdom and Israel might join hands sooner.

In October 2023, Reuters learned that Saudi had postponed its US-mediated plans to have ties with Israel after the war started in Gaza. Israel opened its military offensive in Gaza after Hamas opened a sudden attack in southern Israel on October 7 last year.

Meanwhile, Hamas has put forth a ceasefire proposal outlining a three-phase plan lasting 45 days each, with the ultimate goal of concluding the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

This comes in response to a proposal from Qatari and Egyptian mediators supported by the United States and Israel. The draft document details the key components of the Hamas counterproposal, reported Reuters.

The initial phase involves the exchange of remaining Israeli hostages, captured on October 7, for Palestinian prisoners. Subsequently, the reconstruction of Gaza would commence, followed by a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces and the exchange of bodies and remains.

In the first 45-day phase, the proposal suggests the release of Israeli women hostages, males under 19, the elderly, and the sick in exchange for the release of Palestinian women and children from Israeli jails.