Saudi Arabia Leads

The announcement of the New York Conference demonstrated the effectiveness of Saudi Arabia's diplomatic machinery in leading international efforts through its co-presidency of the "United Nations High-Level International Conference on the Peaceful Settlement of the Palestinian Issue and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution" and the extent of the Kingdom's impact on the international level as a global leader, not just a regional one. Its specific vision regarding the Palestinian issue was imposed in two main directions clearly outlined in the conference's final statement: first, that recognizing the Palestinian state contributes to safeguarding the two-state solution, which requires defined timelines and tangible steps for its implementation; and second, that normalization comes after the establishment of the Palestinian state. These are two key issues.

This influence came through extensive and arduous efforts led by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan in his movements and leadership of the Arab Islamic Committee stemming from the Riyadh Summit, efforts that pushed the French position and several Western countries toward recognizing the Palestinian state to contribute to a peaceful process capable of resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict based on the steadfastness of Saudi vision for resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict from Prince Fahd's peace plan in 1981 and Crown Prince Abdullah's peace initiative "the Arab Peace Initiative" in 2002, and on the dynamism of diplomatic action and political engagement resulting from the young Saudi leadership.

The rising Saudi role in international relations as a regional player and global influencer comes as a complement to the Kingdom's vision of its future role, enhancing the deep cultural, social, and economic transformations within the Kingdom, and in alignment with Saudi Vision 2030 of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Saudi leadership understands that adopting or leading efforts related to the Palestinian issue, moving from merely providing political and financial support for Palestinian causes to leading these efforts, strengthens its regional and international power.

In my opinion, the crowning of this Saudi effort requires completing the engagement with Palestinians through three pathways: first, leveraging Saudi influence to make a substantial breakthrough in restoring Palestinian unity; second, revitalizing the Palestinian Authority's capacity for survival through economic and financial interventions to empower it; and third, sponsoring efforts to rebuild state institutions through serious and essential reforms required in Palestine in line with the constitutional norms embodied in the amended Basic Law, and the popular legitimacy of political institutions through elections.