Saudi Arabia has historically refused to recognize Israel without a Palestinian state, in spite of four Arab states normalizing relations with Israel in 2020 through agreements brokered via then president Donald Trump.
According to the New York Times, after 2020, the Saudi Crown Prince was the first Saudi leader to talk openly about the possibility of Saudi-Israel normalization.
In fact, last September, he went so far as to say that such an agreement would be “the biggest historical deal since the end of the Cold War.”
He said nothing about the Palestinians getting a state though.
After that, Israeli and Saudi officials implied that they were making real progress towards a deal.
But since the war, the Saudi Crown Prince seems to have had a change of heart, hardening his stance and stating that Saudi Arabia won't forge ties with Israel "without the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital." He also condemned what he refers to as "crimes of the Israeli occupation authority against the Palestinian people" adding, "We thank all the countries that recognized the Palestinian state as an embodiment of international legitimacy, and we urge other countries to take similar steps.”
Palestinian officials welcomed the crown prince's comments, which came after a meeting with Mahmoud Abbas.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken still remains hopeful for an Israeli-Saudi deal before the end of President Biden's term, even though it looks increasingly unlikely.
The New York Times contributed to this article.