Saudi Arabia calls for independent Palestinian state in UN speech

Saudi Arabia has called for a just solution to the Palestinian cause to guarantee security in the Middle East region.

“The security of the Middle East region necessitates the expedited pursuit of a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue,” Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said in a speech to the 78th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

“This solution should be built upon the foundation of international legitimacy resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative, guaranteeing the Palestinian people's right to establish their independent state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital,” he added.

In 1993, the umbrella Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel signed the Oslo Accords, which gave Palestinians a form of civil rule. Negotiations, however, failed to complete a peace agreement leading to the establishment of a Palestinian state.

US-sponsored peace negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis collapsed in April 2014 as Tel Aviv refused to stop settlement building and release Palestinian detainees imprisoned before 1993.

The top Saudi diplomat reiterated the kingdom’s rejection and condemnation of “all unilateral actions, considered violations and blatant breaches of all international laws.”

“These actions contribute to undermining regional and international peace efforts and hinder the paths of political solutions,” he added.

The UN speech came amid growing speculations over a potential US-mediated normalization deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Riyadh insists that any deal with Israel must include a component advancing efforts to establish a Palestinian state, concessions that Israel has so far flatly rebuffed.

Six Arab countries have diplomatic ties with Israel, starting with Egypt in 1979, Jordan in 1994, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain in September 2020, and then Sudan and Morocco later that year.