Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) has ordered to exile his father, King Salman, in the desert city of NEOM and to prevent him from using any means of communication in an effort to prevent him from following up on the ongoing normalization negotiations with Israel, well-informed sources confirmed.
A recent opinion poll revealed that 70% of Saudi people believe that reaching an agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel to normalize relations constitutes a harmful development.
This week, Israel’s minister for communications, Shlomo Karhi, made a visit to Saudi Arabia to represent Israel at the Universal Postal Union conference, which runs from Sunday to Thursday in the Kingdom.
It came just days after tourism minister Haim Katz became the first Israeli minister to visit the Gulf kingdom in an official capacity.
Reports earlier revealed that negotiations between Saudi Arabia, the United States, and Israel on normalization are progressing at a slow pace.
However, MBS said in a recent US television interview that his country was moving steadily closer to normalizing relations with Israel.
A Saudi delegation has arrived last week to the Israeli-occupied West Bank, a move linked to recent American efforts to normalize ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
The trip by nonresident Saudi ambassador Nayef al-Sudairi marks the first time that the Saudi delegation has visited the West Bank since 1967.
According to a poll conducted by Israeli KAN Channel 11 and released on 1 October, 56 percent of Israeli citizens support normalization with Saudi Arabia.
However, 39 percent of those who support normalization oppose Washington allowing Riyadh to enrich uranium.
According to the poll, 12 percent of Israelis are against normalization with the kingdom, while 32 percent remain undecided.
“Every day we get closer,” the crown prince told Fox News in wide-ranging remarks broadcast last week, when asked to characterize talks aimed at long-time foes Israel and Saudi Arabia reaching a landmark agreement to open diplomatic relations.
“For us, the Palestinian issue is very important. We need to solve that part,” MbS, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, said when asked what it would take to get a normalization agreement. “And we have a good negotiations strategy til now.”
