Saudi believes relations with Israel possible after Palestine issue is settled

Riyadh and Tel Aviv have many areas where they could potentially cooperate, including the issue of counteracting Iran as a common enemy, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said on Friday.

Salman also said diplomatic relations cannot be established until the Palestinian issue is resolved,

“Well, it seems that [Saudi Arabia and Israel] have a common enemy, and it seems that we have a lot  of potential areas to have economic cooperation.

“And we cannot have a relation with Israel before solving the peace issue, the Palestinians, because both of them they have the right to live and coexist,” the crown prince told Time magazine.

The crown prince added that Saudi Arabia would try to support a solution for peace, and when the Palestinian issue was resolved, Riyadh and Tel Aviv would establish diplomatic relations the “next day.”

Israel and Palestine are locked in a decades-long dispute over borders and sovereignty.

In 1948, after the UK’s mandate over Palestine ended, the Israelis announced the creation of their state on the disputed territories.

As a result of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, initiated by neighboring Arab states, Israel managed to seize territories initially intended for the Palestinians in accordance with a UN General Assembly resolution.

Saudi Arabia does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, but the two countries are reportedly involved in regular unofficial contacts on the political, military and economic levels.(Sputnik/NAN)