Saudi Arabia is offering to resume financial support to the Palestinian Authority, said Saudi officials and former Palestinian officials familiar with the discussions, a sign that the kingdom is making a serious effort to overcome obstacles to establishing diplomatic relations with Israel.
Saudi officials say they are trying to secure Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s support for open ties with Israel, providing more legitimacy to any eventual agreement and forestalling any accusations that the kingdom would sacrifice Palestinian efforts to establish an independent state to advance its own goals. Recognising Israel is especially sensitive for Saudi Arabia because it hosts Islam’s holiest sites, giving it a special status in the Muslim world, where Palestinian statehood remains an emotional rallying cry.
The Saudi outreach has fuelled a debate among Palestinian leaders about whether to back the kingdom’s outreach to Israel — a move that would represent a significant shift from officials who accused Gulf leaders of stabbing them in the back when they established diplomatic ties with Israel in 2020.