Riyadh: Saudi Arabia announced the appointment of an ambassador to Palestine last week. Therefore, Saudi has appointed its ambassador to Palestine for the first time. However, there is a big message behind this decision of Saudi. The cooperation with Israel will only be established if Saudi’s demands are accepted, Saudi signalled to Israel and the United States, Gulf analysts claimed.

Moreover, Saudi Arabia is at the forefront among countries demanding an independent Palestine. Saudi Arabia also fully supports the government of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Despite this, it did not appoint its ambassador to Palestine for several years. However, last week, Saudi Arabia handed over the responsibility of Palestine to its ambassador, Nayef bin Bandar Al Sudairi, who was appointed in Jordan.

Furthermore, the cognisance of this appointment by Saudi was taken worldwide. Hence, the Saudis, in a way, are said to have approved of the struggle for Palestine and of the Palestinians. Palestinian leaders welcomed this role of Saudi. Meanwhile, the message conveyed through this appointment is that the Saudis have not forgotten the Palestinians, claimed Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen.

However, Saudi’s announcement was a message to the United States and Israel, Gulf analysts claimed. The United States has been trying too hard to establish Israel-Saudi cooperation. Besides, news had come to the fore that Saudi had placed some demands before the United States. These included the demand by Saudi for the fighter F-35 aircraft to assist the independent nuclear program. Along with this, Saudi Arabia also said that Israel should find a solution to the issue related to Palestine.

For this reason, by appointing an ambassador to Palestine, Saudi has conveyed the message to the United States and Israel to provide national status to Palestine. Analysts say that the Saudis expect a response from the US and Israel.