Saudi offical: 'Annexation of West Bank territories is expected to bury the chance for normalization' with Israel

The president of the UAE met in Riyadh with the Saudi crown prince. The two agreed that if Israel annexes territories in Judea and Samaria, known as the West Bank, the Emiratis would withdraw from the Abraham Accords. For the Saudis, this decision could close the door on any chance for normalization with Israel. This was reported on KAN's Saturday evening news.

In recent days, the United Arab Emirates has threatened that annexation of territories in Judea and Samaria would be considered a "red line" in relations with Israel, and now it seems that the Emiratis have coordinated their stance on the matter with Saudi Arabia.

In the past few days, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, visited Saudi Arabia and met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. According to a source in the Saudi royal family, the two agreed in their meeting in Riyadh that if Israel carries out annexation moves in Judea and Samaria, withdrawal from the Abraham Accords would be a realistic option.

The Saudi source said that annexation of West Bank territories is also expected to bury the chances of normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia. He further added that by taking such steps, Israel is playing into the hands of Iran and Hamas, whose interest is to prevent relations between Israel and Arab states.

At present, Saudi Arabia is one of the leading players in the effort to bring about recognition of a Palestinian state. In Riyadh, they believe that the move is not intended to serve Hamas and other terrorist organizations, as Israel and the United States claim, but rather to serve peace in the region.

Earlier this week, a senior official in the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lana Nusseibeh, told several international media outlets that annexation moves in the West Bank would undermine the Abraham Accords. "We cannot allow extremists to dictate policy," Nusseibeh said.