Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia on Wednesday reiterated its commitment to Mideast peace on the basis of the Arab Peace Plan. Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan told his German counterpart Heiko Maas during a meeting in Berlin that Israel’s unilateral moves with regards to settlements are hindering the chances for peace, Saudi State TV reported.

A tweet from the foreign ministry said Prince Faisal said: “Saudi Arabia affirms its commitment to peace as a strategic option based on the Arab Peace Initiatives.”

The Saudi-backed initiative, proposed in 2002, conditions recognition of Israel on the establishment of a Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem. It also calls for a full Israeli withdrawal from areas captured in the 1967 war and a “just solution” for Palestinian refugees.

“Saudi Arabia considers Israel’s unilateral policies of annexation and building settlements as an illegitimate (way forward) and (as) detrimental to the two-states solution,” the Saudi foreign ministry quoted Prince Faisal as saying.