Saudi Arabia is expected to follow the United Arab Emirates and announce normalization with Israel soon, possibly before the US presidential election, a senior Israeli official told Israel Hayom.
US President Donald Trump said something similar at his remarks at the signing of the peace deals at the White House on Tuesday. After the ceremony, Trump spoke with King Salman of Saudi Arabia, and said he expected the Saudis to normalize with Israel soon.
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However, the Saudi government insisted it would stand alongside the Palestinian people.
In an official statement, the Saudi government said its "supported all efforts aimed at reaching a just, comprehensive solution that will allow the Palestinian people to establish an independent state along the 1967 borders."
The Israeli diplomat's comments appear to contradict what a number of Arab diplomats have recently told Israel Hayom.
One diplomat said this week that despite the central role Saudi Arabia played in the normalization process, Arab diplomats nearly all believed that the Saudis would not normalize with Israel themselves, mostly because of their commitment to the Saudi peace plan for Israel and the Palestinians.
"The Saudis will not turn their backs on the peace initiative they conceived. Saudi Arabia will not normalize with Israel, at least not as long as King Salman is alive. After that, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman will find a way to reach a [peace] deal with Israel. Unlike his father, he is not obligated to the Palestinians," the diplomat emphasized.
Daniel Siryoti contributed to this report.
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