Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reassured Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas that he is working on preventing further escalation of the conflict after the recent surprise Hamas attack on Israel, according to Saudi state media. The Crown Prince emphasized that Saudi Arabia continues to support the Palestinian people in their pursuit of a decent life, hopes, aspirations, and just and lasting peace.
Israel has suffered 800 casualties in the Hamas attacks and has retaliated with a barrage of strikes on Gaza, resulting in a death toll of 687. There was speculation that Saudi Arabia, which has never recognized Israel, might normalize ties with the country in exchange for security guarantees and assistance in developing a civilian nuclear program from the United States. However, Prince Mohammed stated in a previous interview with Fox News that the Palestinian issue is of great importance to Saudi Arabia, given its religious significance in housing the holy sites of Islam in Mecca and Medina.
The ongoing violence has had a negative impact on potential progress towards normalization, as analysts suggest. Additionally, the Crown Prince has communicated with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordan’s King Abdullah II regarding the crisis. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)