A consequence of the return of conflict in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia, a heavyweight in the Middle East, has decided to suspend discussions on possible normalization with Israel, in the midst of the war between Israel and Palestinian Hamas, a source close to the Saudi government told AFP on Saturday.
The kingdom “decided to suspend discussions on possible normalization with Israel and informed American officials,” she said, while the American Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, is currently in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, as part of a regional tour.
Efforts in recent months by the American administration of Joe Biden to encourage rapprochement between Israel and Saudi Arabia have been jeopardized by the war between Israel and Hamas, triggered on October 7 by a surprise and unprecedented attack. of the Palestinian Islamist movement against Israeli territory.
Friday, as thousands of Palestinians fled the north of the Gaza Strip after an injunction from Israel, Riyadh said it “categorically” rejected any displacement of the population of Gaza, and condemned the bombing of “defenseless civilians”.
After a solidarity visit to Israel and trips to several Arab countries, Antony Blinken arrived in Saudi Arabia on Friday evening. During his tour, he emphasized the need to protect Palestinian civilians while affirming Israel’s right to defend itself.