Saudi FM: Israel ‘Contributing to Regional Stability, Path to Peace’

In a rare move, a senior Saudi official on Friday said Israel has “contributed to regional stability and the path toward peace.”

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud made the remark while commenting on the possibility Riyadh would normalize ties with Israeli a day after his meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington.

At the same time, he said, “I believe that the focus now needs to be on getting the Palestinians and the Israelis back to the negotiating table. In the end, the only thing that can deliver lasting peace and lasting stability is an agreement between the Palestinians and the Israelis,” which he said would include the establishment of a Palestinian state with sovereignty, dignity, “and Jerusalem as its capital.”

As for the kingdom’s relationship with Iran, the foreign minister said not much progress had been made in recent bilateral talks, but Riyadh remained “committed” to dialogue.

He said Tehran’s accelerated nuclear activity was “very troubling.”

“I think we are entering a very dangerous stage” in the program, he said.