One of the prominent princes in the ruling family in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia emphasized that the price that the Kingdom would accept for normalizing relations with Israel is the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
Prince Turki Al-Faisal's statements came today, Friday, in what appeared to be a response to previous statements by US President Donald Trump, in which he said that he expected Saudi Arabia to join the agreement to normalize diplomatic relations between Israel and the UAE, which the two parties announced last week.
The UAE is the third Arab country to establish full relations with Israel for more than 70 years. Abu Dhabi says that according to the US-brokered agreement, Israel will stop plans to annex settlements in the occupied West Bank, but Israeli officials have confirmed that the annexation plans will not stop, but have only been suspended and will continue after a while.
The deal sparked speculation that other Gulf states allies of the United States would follow the example of the UAE, but Prince Turki said Saudi Arabia expects a greater return than Israel expects.
Expensive price
Prince Turki is a former ambassador to Washington and a former director of the intelligence service, and he does not currently hold any government position, but he remains an influential figure as the current head of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies.
He wrote in the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, "If any Arab country is close to joining the United Arab Emirates, it must take the price in return, and it must be a high price."
He added, "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia set the price for the completion of peace between Israel and the Arabs, which is the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, based on the initiative of the late King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz."
In 2002, the Arab League proposed normalization of relations with Israel in exchange for its withdrawal from all Palestinian lands, which include the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, which it occupied in the 1967 war, and the establishment of a Palestinian state on these lands.
However, Prince Turki expressed his understanding of the UAE's decision, indicating that it had imposed an important condition, which was the suspension of Israel's plans to annex settlements.
Trump and Kushner statements
Trump had said two days ago that he expected Saudi Arabia to join the agreement announced by the UAE and Israel last week, which would lead to the full normalization of relations between the two parties.
In response to a question at a press conference at the White House the day before yesterday, Wednesday, whether he expected the kingdom to join the agreement, Trump replied, "Yes, I expect that."
Trump described the Emirati-Israeli agreement as good, and said, "There are countries that will not cross your mind that want to join it." He did not mention other countries by name other than Saudi Arabia.
In turn, Jared Kushner, senior advisor to the US President, urged Saudi Arabia last Monday to normalize its relations with Israel, considering that this step would be in the interest of the kingdom's economy and defense, and would contribute to reducing Iran's power in the region.
In statements to reporters by phone, Kushner confirmed that Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and his Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told him that they wanted to see an independent Palestinian state along with economic opportunities for the Palestinians.
"If you think about people who do not want Saudi Arabia and Israel to reach a peace agreement, then the number one objection to that is Iran. This indicates that it might be the right thing to do," he said.
Earlier, 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.
Saudi official position
On the other hand, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said yesterday, 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 the establishment of relations between Israel and all Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi Foreign Minister indicated 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.
Bin Farhan did not comment directly on the Emirati-Israeli agreement, but he said, "Any efforts that promote peace in the region and lead to the suspension of the annexation plan, we can look at it positively."