No Israel ties without Palestinian statehood, Salman tells Trump

Cairo - King Salman told Trump he appreciated US efforts to support peace.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia, told US President Donald Trump that there would be no normalisation with Israel without Palestinian statehood, the kingdom's state news agency reported on Monday.
The two leaders spoke over the phone following a historic US brokered accord last month under which the United Arab Emirates agreed to become the third Arab state to normalise ties with Israel after Egypt and Jordan.
King Salman told Trump he appreciated US efforts to support peace and that Saudi Arabia wanted to see a fair and permanent solution to the Palestinian issue based on the Arab Peace Initiative proposed by the kingdom in 2002.
Under the proposal, Arab nations have offered Israel normalised ties in return for a statehood deal with the Palestinians and full Israeli withdrawal from territory annexed in the 1967 Middle East war. Saudi Arabia does not recognise Israel.
However, this month the kingdom said it would allow flights between the UAE and Israel, including by Israeli airliners, to use its airspace.
White House adviser and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner has said he hopes another Arab country normalises relations with Israel within the next few months.
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz and Kushner discussed the need for the Palestinians and the Israelis to resume negotiations and reach a lasting peace after Kushner visited the UAE last month.