Palestinians Set Out Terms For Saudi-Israeli Deal

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Facts

• Officials from the Palestinian Authority (PA), including PA intelligence chief Majed Faraj and Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Hussein al-Sheikh, held talks in Riyadh with their Saudi counterparts on Wednesday, with the Palestinian representatives reportedly asking for a cash boost and more control of land in the West Bank.¹
• The officials reportedly also asked for a 'complete cessation' of Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank, the re-opening of the US consulate in Jerusalem — the diplomatic mission to the Palestinians — and the resumption of US-brokered negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians from where they stopped in 2014.²
• Saudi Arabia reportedly seeks greater military cooperation with the US and US support for its own civil nuclear program. Regarding concessions from Israel, the kingdom wants more meaningful changes in Israeli policy toward the Palestinians.³
• A senior Israeli official said that a normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia hinges upon security guarantees with the US. The official added that there are still “four to five” issues that need to be resolved, but they are “not as complicated.”⁴
• Saudi Arabia, which is considered a major power in the Arab and Muslim worlds, refused to join several other Arab states when they normalized relations with Israel in 2020. The kingdom also seeks concessions from the PA's leadership as well.⁵
• The peace process between Israel and what is now the PA has stalled multiple times in the last three decades. The situation is also complicated by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government, which has taken a particularly hardline on making concessions to the Palestinians.²

Sources: ¹The new arab, ²BBC News, ³New York Times, ⁴The times of israel and ⁵Ft.

Narratives

• Pro-Israel, as provided by Jerusalem post. A normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia would not only benefit the region as a whole but also the Palestinians. A good deal would satisfy all parties involved, and could potentially lay the groundwork for the future resumption of peace talks.
• Pro-Palestine, as provided by Middle east monitor. Ultimately, a deal between Israel, the US, Saudi Arabia, and the PA only benefits the leadership of those actors, as opposed to the group of people that this issue is centered around — the Palestinian people. Palestinian Pres. Mahmoud Abbas is deeply corrupt and unpopular, and he and his cronies are essentially asking that Riyadh pay them hush money. Saudi Arabia and the PA are selling the Palestinian people for cheap.