Riyadh ties normalization with Israel to a government ready to resolve the Palestinian issue

Israel’s Kan broadcaster cited an informed Saudi source as saying that Riyadh rules out proceeding with a normalization agreement with Israel as long as Benjamin Netanyahu heads the government, and that it will deal with any future Israeli government based on its willingness to negotiate a two-state solution.

Israel’s Kan public broadcaster cited an informed Saudi source as saying that Riyadh entirely rules out the possibility of advancing a normalization agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel as long as Benjamin Netanyahu remains head of the current government.

According to the source, Saudi leadership believes that Netanyahu is not seeking peace but prefers escalation, and that any future progress in relations remains exclusively tied to a just settlement of the Palestinian issue based on a two-state solution.

The source said that Saudi Arabia considers the identity of Israel’s prime minister an internal matter determined by the will of Israeli voters, but that it will deal with any future government according to its actual willingness to sit at the negotiating table and resolve the conflict. The source also stressed that Riyadh rejects separating normalization from the Palestinian issue or linking it to narrower regional matters, such as security cooperation against the Houthis in Yemen.

رئيس الوزراء الإسرائيلي بنيامين نتنياهو خلال مؤتمر صحفي في أبريل 2026

The statements come as consultations on forming a government continue in Israel following the elections. President Isaac Herzog plans to announce on Sunday the name of the person tasked with forming the government, after Gadi Eisenkot received recommendations from 67 lawmakers, compared with 46 for Netanyahu.

The Saudi government has not yet issued an official comment on the channel’s report.