Israel denies reports that Saudi Arabia is freezing normalisation talks

A report by an Arab newspaper, stating that normalisation talks between the Kingdom and Israel are frozen, is not true, according to an Israeli newspaper.

Elaph, a London-based Arabic newspaper, quoted an “official” in the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office saying that Saudi Arabia informed Washington that it wanted to stop discussions related to normalisation with Israel.

The Israeli official pointed to the far-right ministers in Netanyahu’s government who have publicly opposed making any concessions toward the Palestinians, something Riyadh is reportedly insisting on in any deal with Israel.

Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich has previously said that Israel will not make “any concessions to the Palestinians. It’s a fiction.”

The official also noted the Israeli leadership was “confused” about the Saudi decision to freeze talks, adding experts, ministers and even Netanyahu himself previously believed that Riyadh would normalise ties without linking it directly to the Palestinian issue.

The report contradicts what Foreign Minister Eli Cohen told Elaph in an interview last month, stating that he did’t think the Palestinian issue will be “an obstacle to peace.”

Following the report in Elaph, Times of Israel, quoted an Israeli and an American official both saying the report was “false,” without further elaborating.

Netanyahu has repeatedly said that bringing Saudi Arabia into the Abraham Accords is a top priority for his government.

According to a number of reports in American media, Saudi Arabia is seeking “significant” concessions from Israel towards the Palestinians, a NATO-like security pact with the U.S., and permission to launch a civil nuclear energy programme, in return for normalising ties with Israel.