‘Non-negotiable’: Saudi Arabia flatly rejects Trump’s Gaza takeover plan

Saudi Arabia responded swiftly and firmly to former U.S. President Donald Trump's promise to "take over" the Gaza Strip, reiterating that it would not reach any normalization agreement with Israel until the Palestinian people obtain an independent state. This statement underscores Saudi Arabia's unwavering stance on the Palestinian issue.

In a lengthy statement released on X on Wednesday, the Saudi Foreign Ministry stated, "Establishing a Palestinian state is an unwavering position." The statement further pointed out that Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman has confirmed this position in a clear manner, not allowing for any interpretation under any circumstances.

The statement emphasized: "His Royal Highness stressed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will not cease its tireless efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and that the Kingdom will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without achieving this." This statement directly responded to Trump's previous remarks about the United States taking over the Gaza Strip and developing it economically into a "Middle East Riviera."

Trump's remarks contradict Saudi Arabia's commitment to the Arab Peace Initiative, which it has emphasized for many years. The Arab Peace Initiative proposes diplomatic recognition of Israel on the premise of establishing a Palestinian state. The Jordanian Royal Court also issued a statement emphasizing the need to stop Israeli settlement expansion and rejecting any attempts to annex land and displace Palestinians.

Qatari officials stated that it is too early to discuss who should control the Gaza Strip, given that the fragile ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel is still in its initial stages. Qatar is a key mediator in the fragile ceasefire agreement in Gaza, and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani will meet with Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, in Florida on Thursday to discuss the next steps.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said with a smile at a joint press conference on Tuesday that "normalization with Saudi Arabia is coming and will shock people." However, the Saudi Foreign Ministry's statement clearly demanded that Palestinian freedom must be achieved before any such agreement is reached. Saudi Arabia emphasized that this unwavering position is non-negotiable and cannot be compromised.

Al Jazeera's senior political analyst Marwan Bishara said that there is no doubt that Saudi Arabia is a key country in determining the fate of Palestine. "No country has more say in determining the future direction of Israel and Palestine than Saudi Arabia. And no country wants to normalize relations with Israel more than Saudi Arabia."

Bishara also pointed out that Trump's leadership style is similar to that of a real estate tycoon, and his remarks about Gaza may just be the beginning of a negotiation process, rather than a new policy of expelling Palestinians from the war-torn territory. He added that Saudi Arabia plays a key role in this, and Trump is well aware of this, but Saudi Arabia is currently standing its ground.