The Palestinians present 14 demands to Saudi Arabia

in order to “revive” the Oslo Accords as part of the

normalization deal with Israel
October - 2023 - 1

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and Saudi Ambassador Nayef Al-Sudairi

:”Nazareth - “Arab Jerusalem

The Hebrew newspaper “Haaretz” confirmed today, Sunday,

what a Palestinian leader in Ramallah said to “Al-Quds Al-Arabi”
about Saudi Arabia’s rush towards normalization with Israel
without adhering to its peace initiative, which turned into an
.Arab initiative after the Arab summit in Beirut in 2002

Contrary to what was reported in Saudi newspapers yesterday,

Saturday, about Riyadh’s commitment to the Arab initiative, and
that it is being careful and not in a hurry, “Haaretz” today quotes
three sources in the Middle East familiar with the secret
deliberations, saying that Saudi Arabia is determined to obtain a
military alliance with the United States in exchange for
normalization. With Israel, even if the latter does not make
.“concessions” to the Palestinians
Haaretz” also refers to the statements of US Secretary of State“
Anthony Blinken, in which he said that the conditions of the
Palestinians in the “agreement” with Saudi Arabia and Israel are
very fundamental, and that they will push steps towards a two-
state settlement. Explaining that for the Joe Biden
administration, the agreement must include progress towards
.this settlement

Blinken continued: “Normalization between Saudi Arabia and

Israel is capable of creating a better reality in the Middle East,
”.but not at the expense of the Palestinian issue or instead of it

John Kirby, the National Security Advisor at the White House,

also said that all parties involved in the deliberations between
the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Israel will be forced to agree
.on concessions and settlements in order to reach an agreement

But on the other hand, “Haaretz” quotes the three Middle

Eastern sources familiar with the secret communications, saying
that the Palestinian demands will not achieve the Palestinians’
aspirations for an independent state and broad sovereignty, and
they will be forced to be content with “easing the Israeli
”.restrictions

Strengthening the Palestinian entity

This is what an informed Palestinian source in Ramallah
confirmed to Al-Quds Al-Arabi yesterday, Saturday, explaining
that the Palestinian side agreed with Saudi Ambassador Nayef
Al-Sudairi , during his meetings with the Palestinian leadership
a few days ago, that the current opportunity is not available for
an agreement establishing a Palestinian state, and that what is
possible is to meet... Requests that strengthen the Palestinian
political entity, keep the idea of ​“two states” alive, and meet
specific demands that ease the burden of the occupation on the
.Palestinians

The source quoted the Saudi ambassador as telling the

Palestinian leadership that Saudi Arabia, in the current
circumstances, cannot bring about a Palestinian state, and that
he suggested that it present a basket of “realistic” Palestinian
demands that revive the Oslo Accords to bring them to the
.United States and follow them up in order to achieve them

The source explains to Al-Quds Al-Arabi that the Palestinian

Authority understands the Saudi position, and decided to draw
lessons from the experience of normalizing the UAE and
Bahrain, and move from sweeping rejection to participating in
the potential agreement with Saudi Arabia in order to improve
its conditions, expand and strengthen its sovereignty and
.immunity

According to the source, the Palestinian side presented 14

demands calling for the implementation of the pending Oslo
Agreement, the most important of which are: building a
Palestinian airport, full Palestinian sovereignty over Area A,
implementing the “third wave” of Israeli withdrawals in Area C,
amounting to 13% of its area, and opening an agreement. Paris
Economic Commission and the release of financial revenues
owed to the Palestinians, which today amount to about 800
million dollars, implementing the border crossings agreement
with Jordan by installing Palestinian security personnel there,
and stopping unilateral Israeli measures such as settlements and
.others

The Palestinian source said that the Authority is betting that

meeting these demands will strengthen the Palestinian political
entity, preserve the two-state solution, revive the Oslo Accords,
and thwart the plan of Israeli governmental circles working for
the collapse of the Palestinian Authority. He also said that the
Palestinian side accepted the Saudi position calling for
postponing the Arab peace initiative at this stage, because there
.is no partner for it on the Israeli side

It is noteworthy that there are continuous leaks indicating the

reservations of the Israeli security establishment regarding the
security aspect of the negotiations, including Riyadh’s demands
to obtain American support to develop a civilian nuclear
program on Saudi territory, in addition to the reservations of
some hard-line ministers regarding any “concessions” to the
.Palestinians

But until now, officials in the leadership of the Israeli security

services remain silent, and avoid commenting on the progress
towards the agreement with Saudi Arabia, due to the sensitivity
of the issue, despite the absence of any change in its position
that is systematically opposed to a special nuclear project that
includes uranium enrichment on Saudi territory for fear of
instability there. There is a possibility of a change in the regime
.and the emergence of new rulers hostile to Israel

Security officials in Israel doubt the ability of the United States

to ensure that uranium enrichment on Saudi territory remains