JEDDAH—Saudi Arabia will not fully normalize ties with Israel until a two-state solution with the Palestinians is reached, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Friday.
"We have said that Saudi Arabia supports the Arab Peace Initiative. In fact, we offered it. We have made it clear that peace comes at the end of this process, not at the beginning of it," Jubeir told CNN's Wolf Blitzer.
"We have also said that the countries that signed the Abrahamic Accords [sic] with Israel, those are sovereign decisions made by those countries. We hope that those decisions will have a positive impact on Israeli domestic efforts," he added.
When asked if Saudi Arabia was prepared to join the Abraham Accords, Jubeir said that Saudi Arabia has made it clear that "we need to have a process, and this process needs to include the implementation of the Arab Peace Initiative. Once we have committed to a two-state settlement with a Palestinian state in the occupied territories with East Jerusalem as its capital, that's our requirements for peace."
"We have taken positions and made it clear that peace is possible, and is a strategic option, but there are certain requirements that have to happen before this takes place," Jubeir added.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reiterated his support for the two-state solution based on the 1967 borders following his meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden, but stressed that this may be one of "the last chances" to achieve it.
During a joint press conference in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Abbas said that a two-state solution is the "key" to peace in the region, and called for the U.S. to recognize a Palestinian state.
Abbas said he expects reciprocal steps from President Biden, including the reopening of the U.S. consulate in East Jerusalem, the removal of the Palestine Liberation Organization for the U.S. terror list and the reopening of the Palestinian office in Washington.
"I am extending a hand to the leaders of Israel in order to make peace," Abbas said, adding that "the path begins with an end to the occupation."
Biden concurred with his counterpart in his support for a two-state solution."I know the goal of two states seems so far away…the Palestinian people are hurt," he said.
He added that he hoped that normalization agreements between Israel and Arab states could "reinvigorate the peace process between the Palestinian people and the Israelis."
The 87-year-old president also called for the U.S. to take an active role in securing accountability for the killing of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. In the press conference, one empty seat facing the presidential lecterns held a picture of slain Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, while five Palestinian journalists in the room were wearing shirts saying "Justice for Shireen," following accusations that the U.S. investigation into the killing was tantamount to a whitewash.
"She was an American citizen and a proud Palestinian … her death is an enormous loss," Biden said.
Meanwhile, Palestinian security forces stood in the way of dozens of Palestinians protesters, who were just a few hundred meters from the compound.
Biden was earlier greeted by a ceremonial guard in the Mukataʿa, the main Palestinian Authority headquarters in Bethlehem, before meeting with Abbas and his inner circle.
Mahmoud Abbas and Joe Biden ended up giving separate statements after their representatives were unable to agree on the wording of a summary statement, according to Palestinian sources, amidst frustration from the Palestinians at the lack of concrete steps from the Biden administration to advance political horizons.