Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz has told United States President Donald Trump that the Gulf country wants to see a fair and permanent solution for the Palestinians, which was the starting point for its 2002 Arab Peace Initiative.
The two men spoke via phone following a US-brokered accord last month under which the United Arab Emirates agreed to become the third Arab state after Egypt and Jordan to normalise ties with Israel.
King Salman told President Trump that he appreciated US efforts to support peace and that Saudi Arabia wanted to see a fair and permanent solution to the Palestinian issue based on its Arab Peace Initiative.
Under the proposal, Arab nations have offered Israel normalised ties in return for a statehood deal with the Palestinians and full Israeli withdrawal from territory captured in the 1967 Middle East war.
However, this month the Kingdom said it would allow flights between UAE and Israel, including by Israeli aircraft, to use its airspace.
So far, no other Arab State has said it is considering following the UAE.
The UAE-Israel deal was met by overwhelming opposition among Palestinians who have condemned the move as a “stab in the back”.
According to the Lebanese Hezbollah group, its leaders and the Palestinian Hamas group met on Sunday to discuss the US push for diplomatic normalisation between Israel and Arab nations.
Hamas Chief Ismail Haniya and Hassan Nasrallah, head of the Iran-backed Shia Hezbollah movement, stressed the “stability” of the “axis of resistance” against Israel during and after the meeting.
