(Washington) US Foreign Minister Antony Blinken on Thursday urged Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu not to undermine the prospect of a Palestinian state, in the wake of a visit by the Secretary of State to Saudi Arabia.
After a trip to Riyadh decried by human rights organizations, Antony Blinken spoke by telephone with Binyamin Netanyahu about “the deepening of Israel’s integration in the Middle East through the normalization (of relations) with countries in the region,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
The secretary of state spoke of “the need to keep the commitments made during the meetings in Aqaba and Sharm el-Sheikh in order to avoid measures that would undermine the prospect of a two-state solution”, added the spokesperson. , referring to talks earlier in the year in Jordan and Egypt, which brought together Israeli, Palestinian and US officials.
On Monday, on the eve of his highly symbolic trip to Riyadh, Antony Blinken pleaded for the normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia – a major objective for the Jewish state because of the kingdom’s considerable importance. in the region, notably as guardian of the two holiest sites in Islam.
Speaking alongside the US Secretary of State on Thursday, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhane said normalizing relations was “in the interest of the region” and would bring “considerable benefits to all”.
Faisal ben Farhane, however, refused any normalization with Israel without resolving the Palestinian question.
During his previous stint in power, Binyamin Netanyahu had obtained the normalization of relations with the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Bahrain, considered a major achievement by both the Israeli Prime Minister and the American administration of Donald Trump.