Saudi Arabia suspends normalization talks with Israel: Report

Saudi Arabia has reportedly informed the United States of its decision to suspend all negotiations on normalizing ties with Israel due to the far-right Israeli cabinet’s unwillingness to make any concessions to the Palestinians. 

The London-based Elaph online newspaper, citing an Israeli official, reported on Sunday that Washington has informed Tel Aviv of Riyadh’s stance that the “extremist” nature of the occupying regime led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “torpedoing any possibility of rapprochement with the Palestinians, and therefore with the Saudis.”

It went on to say that Israeli officials were “confused” by the decision, given that they believed the Saudis would move ahead with normalizing ties with Israel without relating it to the Palestinian issue.

The report further noted that the Saudis were discouraged after Netanyahu accepted the demands of hawkish Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich to not make any concessions to Palestinians.

Therefore, it added, without any rapprochement with the Palestinians, there could be no progress with the Saudis.