Alwaght- Saudi Arabia’s King-in-waiting Mohammed bin Salman has reportedly said that Palestinian issue in not the oil-rich kingdom's top priority any more, criticizing Palestinian officials for refusing to take so-called peace proposals offered by the US.
According to American news and information website Axios, Saudi Crown Prince in a closed-door meeting with heads of Jewish organizations in New York on 27 March made clear the Palestinian issue was not a top priority for the Saudi regime or Saudi public opinion. Bin Salman said Saudi Arabia "has much more urgent and important issues to deal with" like confronting Iran's influence in the region.
Axios cited an Israeli foreign ministry cable sent by a diplomat from the Israeli consulate in New York, as well three sources, as saying that Bin Salman gave harsh criticism of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the meeting.
"In the last several decades the Palestinian leadership has missed one opportunity after the other and rejected all the peace proposals it was given. It is about time the Palestinians take the proposals and agree to come to the negotiations table or shut up and stop complaining," bin Salman told the room.
The prince said that, despite his criticism of Palestinian leadership, Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf states need to make progress in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process in order to normalize relations with Israeli regime.
Bin Salman's comments reportedly surprised Jewish leaders present at the meeting, with Axios's source saying people "literally fell off their chairs."
The comments come as the Trump administration — led by senior adviser Jared Kushner and special envoy Jason Greenblatt — continues to draft a peace plan between Palestine and Israel.
The plan is reportedly near completion and the White House peace team is reportedly discussing when to reveal it.
