Delivery time2024-01-09 11:21
Attention will be paid to whether discussions on normalization of diplomatic relations, which were halted by the war, will resume.
US Secretary of State Blinken meets with Saudi Crown Prince
(AlUla[사우디아라비아] Reuters = Yonhap News) U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken (left) visits AlUla, Saudi Arabia on the 8th (local time) and meets Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Secretary Blinken is currently touring the Middle East, where tensions are increasing due to a series of armed conflicts. 2024.01.09 besthope@yna.co.kr
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Shin Jae-woo = U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken, who is touring the Middle East, said on the 8th (local time) that Saudi Arabia is still interested in diplomatic relations with Israel.
According to the American daily New York Times (NYT), Secretary Blinken said this to reporters after meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader.
Secretary Blinken said Crown Prince Mohammed said it was still possible for Saudi Arabia and Israel to establish diplomatic relations, but that would require an end to the war in Gaza and real steps toward a Palestinian state.
“There is clear interest in the region to pursue that,” Blinken said.
These remarks show that even after the war in Gaza, there is still a possibility of normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, that is, political reorganization of the Middle East, and the signing of a US-Saudi mutual defense treaty.
Secretary Blinken then said the other leaders he met in the Middle East, including Crown Prince Mohammed, “are willing to work together to help stabilize and restore the Gaza Strip, chart a political path for the Palestinian people, and work toward long-term peace, security and stability across the region.” He said.
He added that all leaders are “ready to make the necessary commitments.”
The U.S. Biden administration has been mediating the normalization of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia, a Sunni Islamic suzerain country, and Israel.
Saudi Arabia is said to be demanding that the United States guarantee Saudi Arabia’s security in exchange for recognizing Israel as a state.
Discussions on normalizing relations gained momentum until Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 last year and Israel took bloody revenge, but it came to a halt as public sentiment in the Arab world rapidly deteriorated toward Israel after the war.
The United States hopes that dialogue between the two countries will resume, and that through this, Israel will agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The United States and the international community are emphasizing the ‘two-state solution’ in which Israel and Palestine coexist as independent states as a fundamental solution to the Palestine problem.
However, resuming dialogue is not expected to be easy.
This is because anti-Israel public opinion in Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries has rapidly deteriorated as damage has increased due to Israel’s retaliatory attacks in the Gaza Strip, including 23,000 deaths, according to Hamas’ Ministry of Health estimates.
Additionally, some high-ranking Israeli officials are opposed to recognizing the Palestinian state or expanding rights for Palestinians, and many Israelis are also opposing the two-state solution due to the fear and anger brought about by the Hamas surprise attack.
withwit@yna.co.kr
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2024/01/09 11:21 Sent
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2024-01-09 02:21:52
