Saudi Arabia is actively involved in efforts to mediate the conflictbetween Israel and Hamas. Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman (MBS) conveyedthis commitment to Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas during a conversationon Tuesday. This discussion occurred at a crucial time as the resistancegroup, Hamas, initiated a surprise attack on Tel Aviv, resulting insignificant casualties.
Saudi media reports have indicated that the Crown Prince expressed hisnation’s solidarity with the Palestinian people. He emphasized that SaudiArabia continues to support the Palestinians in their pursuit of legitimaterights for a better life, the realization of their hopes and dreams, andthe establishment of a just and enduring peace.
Hamas launched their surprise attack early on Saturday, unleashing abarrage of rockets that caused the deaths of over 1,000 people in theoccupied territory. In response, Israel implemented an unprecedentedblockade on the Gaza Strip, including a ban on the supply of essentialprovisions like food and fuel to the beleaguered Palestinian population.
Israel’s foreign ministry reported that at least 1,000 Israelis lost theirlives in the conflict, while Palestine’s health ministry indicated that thenumber of casualties among Palestinians had risen to 687.
The escalation of violence coincided with speculation that Saudi Arabia, acountry that has never officially recognized Israel, might considernormalizing relations with Israel. Such a normalization could potentiallyinvolve security guarantees from the United States and support for SaudiArabia’s civilian nuclear program.
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However, Crown Prince MBS, in a previous interview with Fox News,emphasized the significance of the Palestinian issue to Saudi Arabia andthe need to alleviate the hardships faced by Palestinians.
Analysts now believe that the ongoing conflict has cast a significantshadow on any prospects for progress toward normalization between SaudiArabia and Israel.