Saudi FM tells UN that regional stability hinges on Palestinian state

Faisal bin Farhan makes no mention of Israel in his address to the General Assembly

Michael Bachner23 September 2023, 7:30 pm

Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud attends a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly, September 19, 2023. (Caitlin Ochs/Pool via AP)

10:39 pmSaudi FM tells UN regional stability hinges on Palestinian state, doesn’t mention Israel

The Times of Israel liveblogged Saturday’s events as they unfolded.

10:39 pm

Saudi FM tells UN regional stability hinges on Palestinian state, doesn’t mention Israel

Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud attends a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly, September 19, 2023. (Caitlin Ochs/Pool via AP)

Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud attends a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly, September 19, 2023. (Caitlin Ochs/Pool via AP)

The Saudi foreign minister tells the UN General Assembly that a solution must be expedited for the Palestinians for the sake of Middle East security.

“The stability of the region rests on a just and comprehensive solution for the Palestinian cause… and the establishment of a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital,” Faisal bin Farhan says in his address.

The comment comes amid increased talk about a potential historic normalization deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel, with Riyadh said to demand Israeli concessions to Palestinians that nevertheless fall short of giving them an independent state.

Bin Farhan adds on the subject of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that his country “rejects and condemns all the unilateral steps that constitute a blatant violation of international laws and which contribute to the collapse of regional and international peace efforts and are hindering the path of diplomatic solutions.”

However, he doesn’t directly mention Israel or the normalization efforts during his address.

Israel reportedly sent a diplomatic representative to the General Assembly hall even though the speech is on Shabbat.

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