The British newspaper “Financial Times” confirmed that Saudi Arabia has warned the United States against exaggerating the possibility of reaching a normalization agreement with the Israeli occupation, stating that Saudi Arabia’s strategy towards the occupation has been “turned upside down” due to anger over the war on Gaza.
The newspaper added that Riyadh finds itself caught between renewed popular support for Palestinians and pressure from Washington to normalize relations with the occupation.
According to the report, Saudi leaders are concerned about the threat posed by the war on Gaza to their chances of resuming the normalization process with the occupation, as well as their plans for economic, social, and internal cohesion reforms.
In the same context, the Financial Times pointed out the repeated calls by Saudi officials to stop the war and accused the occupation of committing war crimes in the strip, explaining that they fear that the images showing the extent of Israeli criminality could lead to “the radicalization of Saudi youth,” as it put it.
The newspaper explained that Saudi Arabia has long been considered the “grand prize for Israel,” noting that Riyadh’s decision to normalize relations with the occupation will have far-reaching consequences, as it is the largest economy in the Arab world and home to the two holiest sites in Islam.
“Normalization talks cannot be imagined in the midst of war.”
The Financial Times noted that Saudi Arabia was heading towards a deal that would have been exchanged for a new US defense treaty and an agreement with the United States to transfer nuclear technology in exchange for normalization, during the months leading up to October 7th of last year.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was scheduled to travel to the Saudi capital that month in order to reach an agreement on the Palestinians, but these plans were “turned upside down” when the resistance in Gaza launched its attack on Israeli settlements.
Please note that this translation is based on the provided Arabic text and may not be an exact representation of the original article.
