Bin Salman pulls out of meeting with Netanyahu in Washington
The British Middle East Eye website revealed that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman intended to visit Washington soon to meet the Prime Minister of the Israeli occupation, Benjamin Netanyahu, but he canceled the meeting fearing that the news had leaked the visit would become a “nightmare”.
The British website confirmed that the visit was planned next week, on Monday, August 31. It is not known whether the crown prince and Netanyahu will hold the meeting publicly in front of the cameras or not.
The website added that those pressing for the meeting, including US President Donald Trump and his son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner, see the possibility of a handshake between the two men as a way to re-launch the image of Mohammed bin Salman as a young Arab peacemaker.
A few days ago, US President Donald Trump expected the Saudi regime to join the agreement announced by the UAE and Israel on the 13th of this month, which would lead to the full normalization of relations between the two parties.
In response to a question at a news conference at the White House, Thursday night, whether he expects the Kingdom to join the agreement, Trump replied that he expects that.
Jared Kushner, senior advisor to the US President, urged the Kingdom to normalize its relations with Israel, believing that this step would benefit the Kingdom’s economy and defense, and would contribute to reducing Iran’s power in the region.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he was working on operating direct flights linking Tel Aviv with Dubai and Abu Dhabi through the Saudi airspace.
But Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said that the Kingdom is committed to peace with Israel on the basis of the Arab Peace Initiative, in the first official Saudi statement since the announcement of the Emirati-Israeli agreement.
The Saudi minister said at a press conference in Berlin that the Kingdom is committed to the Arab initiative as the only way to reach a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and to normalize relations between Israel and all Arab countries.
He explained that the Arab Peace Initiative, which all Arab countries signed in 2002, included a complete vision for the establishment of relations between Israel and all Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi Foreign Minister indicated that the conditions included in the initiative were not met, stressing that establishing relations with Israel would be possible if these conditions were met.
The Arab Peace Initiative includes provisions that prevent the normalization of relations with Israel as long as it is not committed to restoring Palestinian rights on the basis of international legitimacy resolutions.
Bin Farhan did not directly comment on the announcement of the UAE-Israeli agreement, but he said, that any efforts that promote peace in the region and lead to the suspension of the annexation plan can be viewed positively.
