RIYADH (Dispatches) – Saudi Arabia is putting U.S.-backed plans to normalize ties with the Zionist regime on ice, two sources familiar with Riyadh’s thinking said, signaling a rapid rethinking of its foreign policy priorities as war escalates between the Zionist regime and Palestinian resistance movement Hamas.
The conflict has also pushed the kingdom to engage with Iran. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman took his first phone call from Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi as Riyadh tries to prevent a broader surge in violence across the region.
The two sources told Reuters there would be a delay in the U.S.-backed talks on normalization with the Zionist regime.
Until Hamas launched its surprise operation on Oct. 7 by launching a devastating attack on Israeli-occupied territories, both Zionist and Saudi officials had been saying they were moving steadily towards a deal that could have reshaped the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia had until the latest conflict indicated it would not allow its pursuit of a U.S. military pact be derailed even if the occupying regime did not offer significant concessions to the Palestinians in the their bid for statehood, sources had previously said.
But an approach that sidelined Palestinians would risk angering Arabs around the region, as Arab news outlets broadcast images of Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes.
The first source familiar with Riyadh’s thinking said talks could not be continued for now and the issue of Israeli concessions for the Palestinians would need to be a bigger priority when discussions resumed.
The Saudi government did not respond to emailed requests for comment on this article.
The Saudi rethink highlights challenges facing Washington’s efforts to deepen the Zionist regime’s integration in a region where the Palestinian cause remains a major Arab concern.
“Normalization was already considered taboo (in the Arab world) ... this war only amplifies that,” Saudi analyst Aziz Alghashian said.
Washington wants to build on the so-called Abraham Accords when Persian Gulf states, including the United Arab Emirates, normalized ties.
U.S. National Security advisor Jake Sullivan told a White House briefing this week that the normalization effort was “not on hold” but said the focus was on other immediate challenges.
The first source familiar with Saudi thinking said Washington had pressed Riyadh this week to condemn the Hamas attack but said Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan pushed back. A U.S. source familiar with the issue confirmed this.