Palestinian state creation, Saudi price for normalization with Israel: Saudi prince

Amid reports of covert contacts between Riyadh and Tel Aviv, a senior member of the Saudi royal family claims the kingdom will not follow the United Arab Emirates in normalizing ties with Israel until the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital.

Saudi Prince Turki bin Faisal Al Saud made the comments in an article published in the London-based and Riyadh-owned Asharq al-Awsat daily newspaper on Friday.

"Any Arab state that is considering following the UAE should demand in return a price, and it should be an expensive price," Prince Faisal, a former Saudi ambassador to Washington and ex-intelligence chief, wrote.

"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has set a price for concluding peace between Israel and the Arabs - it is the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem [al-Quds] as capital, as provided for by the initiative of the late King Abdullah," he added.

Saudi Arabia, Israel in secret talks through US mediation over al-Aqsa Mosque: Report

Saudi Arabia and Israel have been engaged in secret talks since last December over al-Aqsa Mosque.

In an agreement apparently brokered by US President Donald Trump, Israel and the UAE announced in a joint statement, issued by the White House, that they had agreed to the full normalization of relations.

On Wednesday, Trump said he expected Saudi Arabia to join the deal, which sparked anger among Palestinians and supporters of the Palestinian cause against Israeli occupation.

However, Prince Faisal claimed that Abu Dhabi-- Riyadh's close ally-- had secured a key condition - a halt to Israeli annexation plans.

In the first Saudi reaction to the UAE-Israeli deal, Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said on Wednesday that Riyadh remained committed to "the Arab Peace Initiative."

Israeli delegation visits Saudi Arabia for first time

A high-ranking Israeli delegation from an umbrella US Jewish group has visited Saudi Arabia this week, a sign of increasing warmness between Tel Aviv and Riyadh as the two sides look to forge closer informal ties and expedite normalization efforts.

The so-called Arab Peace Initiative, which was proposed by Saudi Arabia, calls on Israel to agree to a “two-state solution” along the 1967 borders and a “just” solution to the Palestinian refugee issue.

The UAE is only the third Arab state in more than 70 years to forge full relations with Israel.

Under the US-brokered deal, Israel has allegedly agreed to "temporarily" suspend applying its own rule to further areas in the occupied West Bank and the strategic Jordan Valley that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had pledged to annex.

The Arab-Israeli attempts to normalize ties come as Tel Aviv and Washington have stepped up attempts to legitimize Israeli occupation as part of Trump’s so-called “deal of the century” initiative unveiled earlier this year.

UAE-Israel agreement total departure from Arab consensus: Palestinian PM

The Palestinian prime minister slams the UAE-Israel normalization pact as total departure from Arab consensus.

In an op-ed for Israeli paper Yedioth Ahronoth, the Emirati ambassador to the US claimed the new normalization agreement with Israel would allow for “direct” advocacy for the Palestinian cause, including the establishment of a sovereign state, now with “stronger” tools.

“As we have for fifty years, we will forcefully advocate for these ends,” Yousef al-Otaiba wrote in the piece on Friday.

“Now, we will do it directly, face to face and empowered with stronger incentives, policy options and diplomatic tools," he claimed.

Although the Emirati officials have described the normalization pact as a step toward helping Palestinian statehood by halting annexation plans, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has criticized those for whom “the Palestinian question begins and ends with annexation.”

'UAE mulls purchasing laser defense system from Israel'

Meanwhile, Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom reported on Friday that the UAE is considering the purchase of the Israeli-made “Light Blade” laser system to boost its defense capabilities.

According to the paper, representatives from the UAE reached out to Israeli parties that played a role in developing the system, regarding the possibility of purchasing a number of operational units.

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