Saudi press slams Trump bid to 'take over' Gaza

Recently, major Saudi Arabian media outlets have adopted an "unwavering" stance in their headlines, emphasizing Saudi Arabia's official position on the Gaza issue, explicitly rejecting the normalization of relations with Israel without the establishment of a Palestinian state. This position was released after related remarks by US President Donald Trump, aiming to reaffirm Saudi Arabia's commitment to the Palestinian issue.

Previously, US President Donald Trump, together with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told reporters that Riyadh no longer considers the establishment of a Palestinian state as a prerequisite for establishing diplomatic relations with Israel. Subsequently, Trump unexpectedly announced that the United States planned to expel Gaza residents to neighboring countries, then "take over" the area, and transform it into a beach resort. These remarks quickly triggered a strong reaction from the Saudi side.

The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement at 4:00 AM local time, flatly rejecting Trump's aforementioned ideas. Saudi Arabia's *Al-Watan* newspaper used "The Palestinian State is Non-Negotiable or Compromisable" as its headline, emphasizing Saudi Arabia's "firm" position that a Palestinian state must be established alongside Israel before normalization is possible. The newspaper also hinted that even so, open relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel are not a certainty.

*Al-Sabaq* newspaper expressed Saudi Arabia's position in the form of an open letter, emphasizing that the Kingdom's position on the Palestinian issue "will not soften." The newspaper pointed out that the leaders and people of Saudi Arabia will reject any attempt to impose a "new reality" and will regard non-support for the Palestinian cause as "complete betrayal and an improper public conspiracy," which history will not tolerate. *Al-Bilad* newspaper emphasized "resolutely opposing expulsion and annexation of land" in its front-page headline.

Although the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not directly criticize Trump by name, some domestic media adopted a different approach. Hamoud Abu Taleb, a columnist for the Saudi news website Okaz, directly targeted the US President, publishing a commentary entitled "Mr. President, Please Be Reasonable." He criticized Trump for believing that countries can be taken over like his Mar-a-Lago estate, even by force, and questioned whether Trump has the right to make decisions on behalf of the people of Gaza. Abu Taleb believes that such "occupation and invasion" would only take the world back to the era before the establishment of the United Nations and international law.

Although some Palestinian advocates have criticized Saudi Arabia for failing to use its influence to take a tougher stance against the United States and Israel, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ultimately called Israel's actions "genocide" at the joint Arab League and Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit in November 2024. Since Trump's first term, the United States has been trying to broker the normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, but Saudi Arabia has so far insisted that it will only do so on the condition that a Palestinian state is established. Trump has repeatedly stated that he plans to reach a normalization agreement during his second presidential term, but the president's recently proposed plans will only prompt Saudi Arabia to reaffirm its previous position.