The “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation launched by Hamas on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent genocidal Israeli war that went on for two years were a pivotal moment for Middle Eastern politics and security. This period demanded the development of new, more effective, flexible, and robust approaches to confronting Israel’s hubris on one hand and Iran’s fragmentation efforts on the other, as well as the humanitarian plight of the Palestinians. These shifting realities have placed immense pressure on the region’s key Arab states.
For Saudi Arabia, with its profound Islamic standing and historical association with the Palestinian cause since the time of its founder, King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman, taking on this responsibility was unavoidable. Taking the initiative is the destiny of influential nations: the policy of withdrawal and mere observation from the sidelines has never been an option for the leadership in Riyadh.
Accordingly, Saudi foreign policy has closely and carefully adapted to recent developments without reacting impulsively. Policy, after all, cannot be built on sentiment or impulse, especially given the Israeli frenzy fueled by extremist religious visions and a sense of invincibility. Thus, Riyadh worked quietly, deliberately, and transparently to create a regional security network that eventually drew in influential partners, such as France. As a result, an international consensus was formed around the two-state solution at the “New York Conference.”
That consensus paved the way for US President Donald Trump’s proposal to end the war in Gaza. It was not a decision made overnight at the White House; rather, the plan is the culmination of political efforts by Saudi Arabia and several influential Arab, Islamic, and European states. Together, they highlighted Palestinians’ suffering and the unbearable conditions that the global conscience cannot ignore, seizing the moment to shatter Israel’s long-standing victimhood narrative and to present the Palestinian narrative to the world. Within this framework, the Kingdom and its partners presented the two-state solution as a credible path toward peace and ensuring security for everyone in the Middle East.
Peace cannot be built on “tolerating” occupation and its practices. It can only emerge through tangible steps that address the root of the problem, that is, by granting Palestinians their rights. Only then can forgiveness begin, whereby everyone can bury their grudges and their dead in peace, to enter a new era with less hostility, more humanity, and more cooperation- an era in which states compete through legitimate and internationally accepted means.
The most significant reaffirmation of this policy came from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in his Shura Council ( Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia) address in September 2024: “The Kingdom will never abandon its diligent efforts to establish of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital,” before adding that “The Kingdom will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel before this condition is met.”
This principle has become an axis of Riyadh’s foreign policy. Normalization on Israel’s time is no longer an option; it is now contingent upon concrete results on the ground and actionable toward recognizing the Palestinians and their legitimate rights.
Alongside these political and legal positions, Saudi Arabia has sustained a two-year humanitarian effort. As of July 30, the Kingdom had dispatched 58 aircraft and 8 ships carrying 7,188 tons of aid to the Gaza Strip despite Israel’s systematic effort to hinder relief efforts and viciously weaponize starvation.
Saudi Arabia has also warned against the expansion of settlements in the West Bank and the repeated incursions of extremist religious groups into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. Riyadh has strongly condemned Israel’s strikes on Iran and Qatar, as well as reiterating its condemnations of Israel’s ongoing assaults in Syria and Lebanon. That is, the Kingdom's discourse has stressed that peace in the Middle East cannot be ensured piecemeal. Ongoing unrest in one region inevitably and automatically leads to a spike in violence elsewhere.
Of course, these policies seeking peace cannot achieve their aims alone. Saudi Arabia does not have a magic wand capable of transforming hard realities overnight. Accordingly, the Kingdom requires the genuine cooperation of all nations truly committed to peace. Only global cooperation can allow for developing practical, enforceable plans that compel Israel to fully respect its obligations and the provisions of President Trump’s proposal. Otherwise, it will begin to abandon its commitments after the “first phase,” reneging on its pledges once it retrieves the hostages held by Hamas, both living and dead. Any steps away from de-escalation could draw actors into the conflict and place the entire Middle East’s security at risk.
In the days ahead, Riyadh will have extensive diplomatic work to do. It must take a series of concrete measures: expanding and strengthening partnerships with new partners to support the Palestinian state’s efforts to avoid international isolation, systematically utilizing international courts to confront Israeli human rights violations and strip them of their claim to legitimacy, and insisting on Israel’s accountability for the “crimes against humanity” it has committed during the Gaza war.
At the same time, it is essential to build a balanced, preemptive security strategy adapted to the recent regional shifts, allowing the Gulf region to become more resilient in the face of future Israeli aggression, like that which we saw in the Qatari capital, Doha.
Saudi policy has never been as dynamic as it is today. The Kingdom has demonstrated an impressive capacity for translating stated positions into frameworks that cannot be ignored. Nonetheless, the challenges remain enormous, and addressing them does not depend on Saudi Arabia alone, it is the responsibility of all international actors.
