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Saudi Arabia won’t agree normalisation until Israel acts like a ‘normal country’, claims former intelligence chief

Prince Turki al-Faisal claimed that Jerusalem has been unwilling to ‘pay the price of peace’ in the past

December 23, 2025 13:11
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Former Saudi intelligence chief Prince Turki al-Faisal (Getty Images)
1 min read

The former director of the Saudi Arabian intelligence service has claimed that the Kingdom is not currently looking to normalise diplomatic relations with Israel.

The comments will dampen hopes, after several years of reports that the two states may look to establish ties. Such a move would be a major step towards regional stability.

Indeed, preventing normalisation is understood to have been a key motivation for Hamas' October 7 attacks, while Washington has long targeted Saudi as a key potential signatory to the Abraham Accords.

However, Riyadh has always insisted that normalisation be tied to the establishment of a Palestinian state, which the Netanyahu government opposes.

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