US President Donald Trump said he expects Saudi Arabia to join the agreement announced by the UAE and Israel last week, which will lead to the full normalization of relations between the two countries.
In response to a question at a press conference at the White House yesterday, Wednesday, whether he expected the kingdom to join the agreement, Trump replied, "Yes, I expect that."
Countries that do not come to mind
During the press conference, Trump described the Emirati-Israeli agreement as a good agreement, and said, "There are countries that will not cross your mind that want to join that agreement." He did not mention other countries by name other than Saudi Arabia.
Last Monday, Jared Kushner, senior advisor to the US President, urged Saudi Arabia to normalize its relations with Israel, believing that this step would benefit the kingdom's economy and defense, and would contribute to reducing Iran's power in the region.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he was working on operating direct flights linking Tel Aviv with Dubai and Abu Dhabi via Saudi airspace.
The Saudi position
On the other hand, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said on Wednesday that the Kingdom is committed to peace with Israel on the basis of the Arab Peace Initiative, in the first official Saudi statement since the announcement of the Emirati-Israeli agreement.
The Saudi minister said - at a press conference in Berlin - that the Kingdom is committed to the Arab initiative as the only way to reach a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and to normalize relations between Israel and all Arab countries.
He explained that the Arab Peace Initiative - which all Arab countries signed in 2002 - included a complete vision for establishing relations between Israel and all Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia.
Terms of relationships
He pointed out that the conditions included in the initiative were not met, stressing that establishing relations with Israel would be possible if these conditions were met.
The Arab Peace Initiative includes provisions that prevent the normalization of relations with Israel, as long as it is not committed to restoring Palestinian rights on the basis of international legitimacy resolutions.
The Saudi minister did not directly comment on the announcement of the UAE and Israel last Wednesday that they agreed to fully normalize their relations, but he said that "any efforts to promote peace in the region and lead to the suspension of the annexation plan, we can look at it positively."