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Saudi Arabia
The Arab-Israeli Conflict
The conflict between Israel and the Arab states is intimately
connected with the Palestinians, although it has acquired distinct
characteristics. Saudi Arabia, like all other Arab states except
Egypt, has never recognized Israel. For Riyadh, such a step was
unthinkable as long as the Palestinians continued to be denied
their rights of national sovereignty. Nevertheless, Saudi Arabia
accepted the reality of Israel's existence. In his 1981 peace
plan, Fahd had called for the right of every state in the Middle
East to live in peace. This was widely interpreted to mean that
Saudi Arabia was ready to recognize Israel when all the points
of the Fahd Plan pertaining to the Palestinians had been implemented.
When the United States organized a conference to initiate Arab-Israeli
peace talks in the fall of 1991, Saudi Arabia declined to participate,
but it did encourage Syria to take part.
Data as of December 1992
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