The Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), has called for the establishment of a Palestinian State along the 1967 borders.
Mohammed bin Salman made the statement during an address to the joint summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Talking about the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, Mohammed bin Salman said, “It pains us at the time of our meeting what Gaza is witnessing today, from escalating violence that is being paid for by innocent civilians.”
He said that Saudi Arabia rejected targeting of civilians, and stressed the importance of adhering to international humanitarian law, as well as the need to stop “military operations against civilians and infrastructure that affects their daily lives”.
“The conditions must be created for the return of stability and the achievement of lasting peace that will ensure a just solution to establish a Palestinian state within 1967 borders in order to achieve security and prosperity for all,” MBS said on Friday.
Notably, a 2017 policy document of Hamas suggested the possibility of accepting the idea of a Palestinian state in territories occupied by Israel in the six-day war of 1967.
Israel has repeatedly rejected the demand, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterating that Israel would never pull back to its 1967 borders.