A Palestinian delegation will arrive in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday and is expected to meet with Brett McGurk, a senior official at the U.S. National Security Council. The delegation and American adviser are expected to discuss normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia, and the terms benefitting the Palestinians in such a deal.
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This will mark the first time that an American delegation meets with a Palestinian delegation in Saudi Arabia to discuss the details of normalization.
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Benjamin Netanyahu, Mohammed bin Salman, Joe Biden, Mahmoud Abaas
(Photo: AFP, REUTERS/Julia Nikhinson, AFP/HO/SPA, Amit Shabi)
"The Palestinian leadership believes that Saudi Arabia will not proceed with normalization without obtaining a satisfactory political price that strengthens its position and is supported by the Palestinians," an unnamed Palestinian official told the UK-based news outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed last week.
"The core of the Palestinian position that will be presented to Saudi leadership is the implementation of the Arab Peace Initiative, which includes a withdrawal from the territories controlled by Israel after the Six-Day War in 1967 in exchange for Arab recognition of Israel, in addition to a demand to make the Palestinians a full member of the UN,” the official also said.
The source added that the demands would also include the reopening of the American consulate in East Jerusalem and Fatah offices in the U.S. "These are demands that the Biden administration promised the Palestinian leadership two years ago but has not fulfilled," he said.
The Palestinians have further demands, reminiscent of confidence-building steps that the Palestinians presented to the Biden administration to renew relations with the Israeli government, according to the official. Those same demands were presented by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas when he met with then-Defense Minister Benny Gantz two years ago.
"The meetings concluded without any of these steps being implemented, especially the halting of development of Jewish settlement, the cessation of de facto annexation of Palestinian territory, the cessation of Palestinian home demolitions, the cessation of incursions into Palestinian territory in Area A, and a commitment not to change the status quo at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem," according to the official.
He confirmed that the Palestinian delegation’s head will be Hussein al-Sheikh, the secretary-general of Fatah's Executive Committee. The delegation will also include the head of the Palestinian Intelligence Service, Majed Faraj; and Majdi Khaldi, Abbas’ diplomatic affairs adviser.
Last week, this same delegation met with the Saudi ambassador to Jordan and the Palestinian Authority, Nayef bin Bandar Al Sudairi, in Amman, Jordan.
The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Saudi officials and senior Palestinians said that the kingdom is offering to renew financial support for the Palestinian Authority, which they say is a "serious effort to overcome obstacles to establishing diplomatic relations with Israel.”
Saudi officials said they’re trying to secure Abbas’ support for establishing relations with Israel, which would give broader legitimacy to any agreement and prevent accusations against Saudi Arabia claiming it to be advancing Israeli goals.