Saudi Arabia is freezing US-backed plans to normalize ties with Israel. This was said by two sources close to the thought of Riadalla Reuters, signaling a rapid rethinking of the Kingdom's priorities in foreign policy, as the war intensifies between Israel and Hamas. You can read it on the website of the news agency. The conflict has also reportedly prompted Riyadh to engage with Iran: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received his first phone call from Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi as the kingdom seeks to prevent a wave of violence in the region.
The two sources told Reuters there would be a delay in U.S.-backed talks on normalization with Israel, a key step for Riyadh to secure a defense pact with the United States.
Until Iranian-backed Hamas unleashed a war on October 7 against Israel, both Israeli and Saudi leaders said they were steadily moving toward an agreement that could reshape the Middle East. Saudi Arabia until the last conflict had indicated that it would not allow its pursuit of a US defense pact to be derailed, even if Israel did not offer significant concessions to the Palestinians in their bid to become a state, sources had previously said. However, an approach that were to sideline the Palestinians now would risk unleashing Arab anger in the region, Reuters points out on the website.
An early source familiar with Saudi thinking said talks with Israel could not continue for now, and that the issue of Israeli concessions for the Palestinians should be a higher priority when discussions resume – a comment indicating that Riyadh has not abandoned the idea. The Saudi government did not respond to requests for comment.
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