Decoding Saudi Arabia’s Political Strategy: Assessing Mohammed bin Salman’s Involvement in Gaza Ceasefire
Watan-The specialized researcher in Gulf affairs, Fahd Al-Ghufaili, expected that presenting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as a peace maker and architect of the ceasefire in Gaza could be a new plan to package the kingdom’s normalization under a heroic cover.
Al-Ghufaili’s tweet on the X platform stated, “Is this a new plan to package the kingdom’s normalization under a ‘heroic cover’? Attempting to present Prince Mohammed bin Salman as a peace maker and architect of the ceasefire in Gaza.”
Al-Ghufaili explained that this plan is being carried out through seeking a “promise to establish a weakened Palestinian state with confiscated territories.”
According to the researcher, “all of this is in exchange for announcing normalization and presenting it as heroism, while usurping the rights of the Palestinian people.”
Days ago, electronic flies participated in a campaign to promote Mohammed bin Salman as a peace maker in the region after a series of statements in which he claimed to reject normalization with the occupation before recognizing the Palestinian state.
هل هو مخطط جديد لتغليف تطبيع المملكة بـ “غطاء بطولي”؟
محاولة تقديم الأمير محمد بن سلمان كصانع للسلام ومهندس وقف إطلاق النار في غزة والحصول على “وعد” بإقامة دولة فلسطينية مهترئة الإمكانات مختطفة المساحات؟
كل ذلك لقاء إعلان التطبيع وإظهاره بمظهر البطولة وانتزاع حقوق الشعب الفلسطيني pic.twitter.com/2KZDtg6awR— فهد (@fahadresearch19) February 10, 2024
Mixing the tragedy of Gaza with the issue of “recognizing a Palestinian state,” observers believe that instead of pressuring towards ending the brutal Israeli war against Gaza, Riyadh is trying to mix Palestinian issues together and portray them as a state and recognition issue.
With such statements, Riyadh criticized statements by a White House official days ago indicating “positive” discussions aimed at normalizing relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel despite the ongoing war against Gaza.
In a statement by the Saudi Foreign Ministry: “The Kingdom has informed the U.S. administration of its steadfast position that there will be no diplomatic relations with Israel unless the independent Palestinian state is recognized on the 1967 borders and the Israeli aggression on Gaza is stopped.”
Observers affirmed that Saudi Arabia is trying to steal the victory from the resistance in front of people and ride on the shoulders of Gaza despite all its policies that serve the occupation and its agendas, from organizing entertainment seasons to imprisoning sympathizers with the Palestinian cause just for raising Palestinian flags under the guise of law enforcement.
Another follower mentioned the kingdom’s policy towards Palestine from the past: “Their betrayal of the Palestinian cause was under the table since the time of the late King Fahd, and they always paid the price, and now betrayal has become openly apparent.”
It is worth mentioning that before the Gaza war, Saudi Arabia confirmed its openness to normalization with the occupation and had several conditions for it, including obtaining security guarantees from Washington and assistance in developing a civilian nuclear program.
