Report claims Saudi Crown Prince has no personal concern for 'Palestinian issue'
Saudi denies allegation
Riyadh: US magazine The Atlantic has reported that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman expressed a lack of personal concern for the "Palestinian issue" during a conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in January. The two leaders reportedly discussed the possibility of normalising relations with Israel amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
According to the report, Blinken asked whether Saudi Arabia would tolerate periodic Israeli reentries into Gaza as part of a potential normalisation agreement. The crown prince purportedly responded, "They can come back in six months, a year, but not on the back end of my signing something like this."
He added, “Seventy percent of my population is younger than me. For most of them, they never really knew much about the Palestinian issue. And so they’re being introduced to it for the first time through this conflict. It’s a huge problem. Do I care personally about the Palestinian issue? I don’t, but my people do, so I need to make sure this is meaningful.”
A Saudi official, however, has described this account of the conversation as “incorrect.”
Despite the new reported comments, Mohammed bin Salman has in the past publicly stated that Saudi Arabia will not normalise relations with Israel without the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
"The Kingdom will not cease its diligent efforts to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital," he said at a recent annual address before the Shura Council in Riyadh.
"We confirm that Saudi Arabia will not establish diplomatic relations with Israel until that goal is achieved.”
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Two held on espionage charges for Pakistani official at High Commission in Delhi
Chandigarh, May 11 (PTI): Punjab Police on Sunday said it has arrested two persons for their alleged involvement in espionage activities linked to a Pakistani official posted at the High Commission in Delhi.
Acting on credible intelligence, one suspect was arrested for leaking sensitive information to a Pakistan-based handler regarding Indian Army movements, said Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav.
"Based on disclosures made during interrogation, a second conduit was also identified and taken into custody," said the DGP in a post on X.
The initial probe revealed that the accused had been receiving payments through online transactions in exchange for classified information.
They were in frequent contact with the handler and were involved in channelling funds to other local operatives as per his instructions, he said.
Two mobile phones have been recovered, and an FIR has been registered, said the DGP.
"This operation marks a significant step in dismantling cross-border espionage networks and reinforces our commitment to national security," said Yadav.
He added that further investigation will be undertaken as per established protocol, focusing on tracing the financial trail and identifying additional operatives and linkages within the network.
In a significant breakthrough, Malerkotla Police apprehends two individuals for their alleged involvement in espionage activities linked to a Pakistani official posted at the High Commission, New Delhi.
— DGP Punjab Police (@DGPPunjabPolice) May 11, 2025
Acting on credible intelligence, one suspect was arrested for leaking… pic.twitter.com/AJZWumlBNY
