Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Saudi Arabia has long
supported Palestinians’ desire for a state of their own © Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters
James Shotter in Jerusalem and Samer Al-Atrush in Dubai YESTERDAY
Saudi Arabia has appointed its first ever ambassador to the Palestinians, amid a
flurry of diplomatic activity as the US attempts to broker an agreement to
normalise relations between Riyadh and Israel.
Over the past three months, US and Saudi officials have been exploring the
potential for a complex deal that would reshape the Middle East’s geopolitics and
see Saudi Arabia recognise Israel in exchange for US defence guarantees and
support for a civilian nuclear programme.
As part of any deal, the Saudis are also expected to demand Israeli concessions to
Palestinian aspirations for statehood, and on Saturday the Gulf nation appointed
Nayef bin Bandar Al-Sudairi as non-resident ambassador to the Palestinians and
consul-general in Jerusalem.
Al-Sudairi, who already serves as Saudi ambassador to Jordan, said the expansion
of his role was a sign of solidarity with the Palestinians.
Middle Eastern politics & society
Saudi Arabia appoints first envoy to Palestinians
Move comes as US attempts to broker deal to normalise relations between Riyadh and Israel
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2023. All rights reserved.
“This is an important step and shows that the [Saudi king and crown prince] are
keen to strengthen ties with the brothers in the state of Palestine,” he said. “This
step will have consequences that will benefit the brothers in Palestine and organise
those relations and formalise them.” 
Asked about the Saudi move on Sunday by Israeli radio station 103FM, Israel’s
foreign minister, Eli Cohen, said it had not been co-ordinated with Israel, and
added that Israel would “not allow the opening of any diplomatic representation
[to the Palestinians] in Jerusalem”.
Saudi Arabia, widely regarded as one of the leaders of the Sunni Muslim world, has
long supported Palestinians’ desire for a state of their own. In 2002, it
masterminded an Arab peace initiative that offered to recognise Israel — but only if
it withdrew from occupied Arab lands.
Bassam Al-Agha, the Palestinian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, said the
appointment of Al-Sudairi was a sign of Riyadh’s continued support for the
Palestinian cause, and its desire to deepen political, social and economic ties with
the Palestinians.
Cohen conceded that the Saudi move was “a message to the Palestinians that they
didn’t forget them”. But he played down its significance for the broader efforts to
normalise ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia, and said that, despite numerous
obstacles, he still thought a deal could be reached.
“It’s complex, but possible,” he said. “What matters in the end are interests. Saudi
Arabia has an interest in an agreement, no less than Israel.”
In addition to winning support from the Israeli and Saudi governments, any deal
would also need approval in Washington, and officials say that it would need to be
reached in the next six to nine months to avoid being caught up in the US election
cycle.
A senior US official said earlier this week that there were “still a lot of
conversations that have to occur” before a deal could be struck, adding that there
was “no agreed to set of negotiations” or “agreed-to framework to codify
normalisation”.