Saudis contradict Trump on Israel, reject Gaza relocations

(JNS) — Saudi Arabia’s government on Tuesday contradicted U.S. President Donald Trump’s statement that Ryadh may normalize ties with Israel even without the creation of a Palestinian state.

Sitting alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, Trump addressed Saudi-Israeli ties while answering questions from journalists on the subject.

“Well, we’re going to see, and we’re dealing with a lot of people, and we have steps to go yet, as you know. And maybe those steps go forward, and maybe they don’t. We’re dealing with a very complex group of people. Situation and people,” said Trump.

Asked whether the Saudis are demanding Palestinian statehood in exchange for normalization of ties with Israel, Trump said no.

“No. No, they’re not. Everybody’s demanding one thing. You know what it is? Peace,” he said.

But within hours of these remarks, the Saudi Foreign Ministry emphasized Palestinian statehood was indeed a prerequisite

“His Royal Highness emphasized that Saudi Arabia will continue its relentless efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel without that,” the ministry said on Wednesday.

During his remarks regarding the prospect of normalization, Trump praised Netanyahu.

“But we have the right man, we have the right leader of Israel. He’s done a great job. And we’ve been friends for a long time. We do a great job, also. And I think we have a combination that’s very unbeatable, actually,” Trump told reporters.

Trump reiterated during the Q&A his support for relocating Gazans to other countries, citing the extensive damage to civilian infrastructure in Gaza and the area’s unstable record. He dismissed objections by Jordan and Egypt to this idea.

“I think Jordan and Egypt will—I know they’ve spoken about it with you, and they say they’re not going to accept [Gazans.] I say they will. But I think other countries will accept, also. I think that Gaza maybe is a demolition site right now. If you look at Gaza, it’s all—I mean, there’s hardly a building standing,” said Trump.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry’s statement also addressed Trump’s relocation proposal.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia also reaffirms its unequivocal rejection of any infringement on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, whether through Israeli settlement policies, land annexation, or attempts to displace the Palestinian people from their land,” the ministry said.

Asked by a reporter whether he supported releasing Palestinian terrorists in the framework of Israel-Hamas ceasefire, Trump replied by recalling the atrocities perpetrated by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.

“We can’t forget it. I’ll never forget it and you can’t forget it. Then some people want to put it out of their memory. But we’re not going to ever let that happen. It was a horrible day, Oct. 7. That was horrible. That was a horrible period of time and a lot of people like to pretend it didn’t happen. It happened. It’s a big group of people that like to pretend it didn’t happen like the Holocaust didn’t happen. Same mindset,” he said.