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The Wall Street Journal reported that the Saudi royal family is divided over a “possible embrace” from Israel, noting that “the king and his crown prince disagree on whether to facilitate relations with him.”
The newspaper noted that the announcement of the agreement between the UAE and Israel surprised King Salman, but did not surprise Prince Mohammed, who feared his father would block the deal, according to people familiar with the matter, including Saudi advisers, as if the Saudi king did not support the agreement, it would be difficult for the Emiratis to move forward.
The newspaper added: Bin Salman did not inform his father about the deal, noting that “the Saudi king disagreed with his son regarding his embrace of Israel”, noting that “the king is a longtime supporter of the Arab boycott of Israel and the Palestinians’ demand for an independent state, while the prince wants to sidestep what he sees. An intractable fight to join Israel in business and oppose Iran. “
The newspaper noted that the angry King Salman later ordered his foreign minister to reaffirm Saudi Arabia’s commitment to establish a Palestinian state without reference to the normalization agreement, adding: “A member of the royal family close to him wrote an opinion piece in a Saudi-owned newspaper in which he confirmed this position and hinted that he Emiratis had to pressure the Israelis for more concessions. “
The newspaper considered that “normalizing relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel before any agreement to establish a Palestinian state would be a radical change in the Middle East, which would change an Arab position that has lasted decades.” In the region, it may change earlier than expected, but such a transformation can lead to more confusion. “
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