Saudi Arabia reaffirmed its support for an independent Palestinian state on Tuesday and said establishing diplomatic ties with Israel would depend on the creation of such a state, hours after President Trump proposed permanently moving all Palestinians out of Gaza and making it a U.S. territory.
The Foreign Ministry’s statement early Wednesday local time, which said that Saudi support for a Palestinian state was “firm and unwavering,” contradicted Mr. Trump. While hosting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel at the White House on Tuesday, the president had said that Saudi Arabia was not insisting on a Palestinian state.
“Saudi Arabia is going to be very helpful, and they have been very helpful. They want peace in the Middle East,” Mr. Trump added later, during a joint news conference with Mr. Netanyahu.
“The U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip, and we will do a job with it, too,” Mr. Trump said. He added that the United States would dispose of unexploded munitions and rebuild Gaza, which he described as a “demolition site.”
A sweeping deal that would see Saudi Arabia normalize relations with Israel is one of the Trump administration’s top goals in the Middle East. During Mr. Trump’s first term, the United States brokered the Abraham Accords, under which the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain normalized ties with Israel.
Before the war in Gaza began in 2023, Saudi Arabia appeared close to setting up diplomatic relations with Israel without meeting the precondition of a Palestinian state. But Saudi statements since then have indicated that such a deal is a long way off.
On Wednesday, the kingdom reiterated its “unequivocal rejection” of any infringement on the rights of the Palestinian people, including attempts to displace them.
The Geneva Conventions, which the United States and Israel both ratified, prohibit the forcible relocation of populations.
The war in Gaza began after the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which the Israeli authorities say about 1,200 people were killed and about 250 were taken hostage. The Israeli assault on Gaza has killed at least 45,000 people, according to the enclave’s health officials. Much of Gaza has been destroyed.
A lasting end to the fighting in Gaza is seen as crucial to the Trump administration’s ambitions in the Middle East.
“I think that peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia is not only feasible, I think it’s going to happen,” Mr. Netanyahu said at the White House news conference. Facing Mr. Trump, Mr. Netanyahu said: “I think that if we had another half a year in your first term, it would have already happened.”
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