Saudi Arabia, on Saturday (August 12) selected a non-resident ambassador for the Palestinian Territories who will also serve as consul general in Jerusalem. This comes amid speculations about the Kingdom’s consideration of establishing formal diplomatic relations with Israel.
Who is Saudi Arabia’s pick?
According to a social media post from the embassy in Jordan and confirmed by a Saudi foreign ministry official, the kingdom has picked Nayef al-Sudairi, the current ambassador to Amman as the first non-resident Saudi Arabian ambassador to the Palestinian Territories.
In a video, broadcast by the Saudi state-affiliated Al-Ekhbariya channel, al-Sudairi called the appointment an “an important step” in supporting the Palestinian cause.
The selection also underscores the desire of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman “to strengthen relations with the brothers of the State of Palestine and give it a formal boost in all areas,” said al-Sudairi.
This comes as Saudi Arabia has reportedly long championed the Palestinian cause and shunned official ties with Israel. However, the United States, which has strong ties with Israel, has sought to promote what could be a historic Middle East deal that would include normalising Israeli-Saudi relations.
So far, the file for the Palestinian Territories has been handled by Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Jordan. Saudi Arabia does not recognise Israel and also did not join the Washington-brokered Abraham Accords which saw Israel establish ties with two of its kingdom’s neighbouring countries, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
Palestinians welcome first Saudi ambassador
Palestinian officials have welcomed the first non-resident Saudi Arabian ambassador. According to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, President Mahmoud Abbas’s diplomatic adviser Majdi al-Khalidi received a copy of the credentials of al-Sudairi, at a ceremony in Jordan.
The Palestinian president’s diplomatic adviser called the appointment an “important step that will contribute to further strengthening the strong brotherly relations that bind the two countries and the two brotherly peoples,” as quoted by Wafa.
A Palestinian Authority official speaking to AFP, on the condition of anonymity said that with this announcement “Saudi Arabia has reaffirmed its recognition of the state of Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital”.
This comes as Jerusalem is one of the biggest points of contention in a possible peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians. “This is one part of several steps and we will continue to develop the relationship with them,” the Palestinian source added.
Is Saudi Arabia planning to establish ties with Israel?
Last year, during US President Joe Biden’s Middle East tour, the Saudi civil aviation authority announced that it was lifting overflight restrictions on “all carriers” which also paved the way for Israeli planes to use Saudi airspace.
However, the kingdom later denied that the airspace move was a “precursor to any further steps” towards normalisation of ties with Israel. Saudi Arabia has also repeatedly said that it would adhere to the decades-old Arab League position of not establishing official ties with Israel until the conflict with the Palestinians is resolved.
Additionally, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said the Western-backed Palestinian Authority has sought to engage with Saudi Arabia over their concerns about a possible normalisation of ties with Israel.
This comes as Palestinians have expressed concerns that any such agreement would weaken support for their cause in the wider Arab world as well as undermine their hope for an independent Palestinian state.
(With inputs from agencies)
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