Saudi Arabia rejects ‘extremist’ Israeli statements on Palestinian displacement

Riyadh says lasting peace in region can only be achieved through 2-state solution

By Ibrahim Khazan and Mohammad Sio

RIYADH (AA) – Saudi Arabia on Tuesday rejected “extremist” Israeli statements advocating the displacement of Palestinians.

In a meeting chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi Cabinet stressed that lasting peace in the region can only be achieved through a two-state solution.

The Cabinet emphasized its “categorical rejection of extremist Israeli statements suggesting the forced displacement of Palestinians” and reiterated “the centrality of the Palestinian cause to Saudi Arabia.”

“Permanent peace will not be achieved unless the principle of peaceful coexistence is accepted through a two-state solution,” reads the statement cited by the state news agency SPA.

Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested that Saudi Arabia has “vast lands” where a Palestinian state could be established.

His comment followed a controversial suggestion by US President Donald Trump to take control of Gaza and relocate its Palestinian population, an idea widely rejected by Palestinian and Arab leaders.

Saudi Arabia denounced Netanyahu’s comments as “extremist and colonialist” and reiterated the right of the Palestinians to their land.

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