Saudi Arabia will restore diplomatic relations with Israel only if a Palestinian state is recognized within its 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital and the conflict in the Gaza Strip is ended, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
Saudi Arabia agreed to recognise Israel last year in exchange for technology and defence support from the United States to create its civilian nuclear programme. However, after the Israel-Hamas war broke out, Saudi paused the deal with Israel and demanded a ceasefire and the creation of an independent Palestinian state. , World News, Times Now
Saudi Arabia is hosting Arab leaders and Iran's president for two summits this weekend on the ongoing war in Gaza, which is raising fears of a regional escalation.
As the conflict between Israel and Hamas escalates, the surprise strike comes amidst efforts by the United States to normalise ties between Israel and Arab countries, first stop being Saudi Arabia. Experts opine Hamas’s attack was aimed at disrupting normalisation efforts.