Beyond the Rubble: Why Saudi Arabia Argues a Palestinian State is the Only Path to Lasting Peace in Gaza 

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has asserted that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is solvable, arguing that a viable Palestinian state could be established “in relatively short order” if there is serious political will. Speaking at the UN, he emphasized that the recent New York Declaration provides a tangible roadmap for a two-state solution, but issued a critical warning that the reconstruction of Gaza must be inextricably linked to this political process to avoid a cyclical rebuild-destroy dynamic. He stressed that sustainable peace requires moving beyond temporary ceasefires to a final-status agreement, framing the establishment of a Palestinian state not as a concession but as the essential foundation for lasting security and regional integration for both Israelis and Palestinians.

Beyond the Rubble: Why Saudi Arabia Argues a Palestinian State is the Only Path to Lasting Peace in Gaza 

In the hushed corridors of the United Nations, where the echoes of global crises often fade into diplomatic platitudes, a statement from a key Arab leader cut through the usual noise with unusual clarity. Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, delivered a message that was neither a threat nor a plea, but a stark, pragmatic assessment: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, for all its generations of bloodshed and intransigence, is solvable. 

Speaking to Arab News on the sidelines of the 80th UN General Assembly, Prince Faisal presented a case that challenges the prevailing narrative of hopelessness. “We don’t see these issues as insurmountable,” he stated, pointing to a political horizon that many have declared extinct. His argument hinges on a simple but revolutionary conditional: “If there’s serious will… we could have a Palestinian state in relatively short order.” 

This is more than just diplomatic rhetoric. It is the core of a strategic pivot, one that ties the immediate humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza directly to the ultimate political solution. The Saudi message is that rebuilding Gaza without simultaneously building a state is not just futile; it is an invitation for the next cycle of destruction. 

The New York Declaration: A Blueprint from the Ashes 

Prince Faisal’s comments were framed by a significant, though underreported, diplomatic achievement: the High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France. The outcome was the New York Declaration, a comprehensive roadmap that moves beyond vague aspirations to outline tangible, time-bound steps. 

This declaration is notable for its multidimensional approach. It isn’t merely a call for a ceasefire. It demands: 

• Immediate Ceasefire and Palestinian Unity: An end to the fighting and the reunification of Gaza and the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority, explicitly excluding Hamas from future governance. 

• International Stabilization: The deployment of a temporary UN-led stabilization mission to oversee security during a transition—a crucial element to address Israeli security concerns without relying on indefinite Israeli military occupation. 

• Halting the Status Quo: A definitive stop to Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank, the primary obstacle to a geographically contiguous Palestinian state. 

• A Framework for Final Status: A structured process to address the core final-status issues: borders, security, Jerusalem, and refugees. 

By championing this declaration, Saudi Arabia is doing more than stating a position; it is providing a workable plan. It acknowledges the complexities but insists they can be navigated through a negotiated process backed by international consensus. Prince Faisal’s reference to the “founding UN resolutions that established the State of Israel” and the understood 1967 borders as the foundation for Palestine is a deliberate appeal to a legal and historical baseline that much of the world already accepts. 

The Reconstruction Trap: Why Building Gaza Requires Building a State 

Perhaps the most potent insight from Prince Faisal’s interview is his warning about the reconstruction of Gaza. He acknowledged the “significant outpouring of aid” but framed it with a critical caveat: “I think it’s unacceptable that we come to the international community to ask them to come together to rebuild Gaza… only for the potential of the situation on the ground to exist where this could all happen again.” 

This statement exposes the fundamental flaw in the post-conflict planning that has plagued Gaza for decades. The pattern is grimly familiar: war, international donor conferences, temporary rebuilding, a descent into renewed blockade and despair, and ultimately, another devastating conflict. This cycle benefits no one—not the Palestinians living in an open-air prison, not the Israelis living under rocket fire, and not the international community pouring billions into a recurring disaster. 

The Saudi argument is that reconstruction must be inseparable from political progress. To invest in roads, schools, and hospitals without a parallel investment in sovereignty, economic viability, and political hope is to build on quicksand. The only way to ensure that reconstruction is “sustainable” and done “once and for all” is to anchor it to the establishment of a viable Palestinian state. This transforms aid from a temporary bandage into a long-term investment in a future neighbor, creating the economic interdependence and political stability that are the true guarantors of security. 

The Geopolitical Shift: A Subtle Message to Washington 

Prince Faisal’s decision to reference discussions with former US President Donald Trump was a calculated diplomatic move. He noted that Arab and Muslim countries had made “very clear to the president the danger of annexation of any type in the West Bank.” This serves two purposes. 

First, it is a reminder to the current and future US administrations that the Arab world’s red lines are firm. Unilateral actions that preempt final-status negotiations, such as annexation, are seen as existential threats to the peace process itself. Second, and more importantly, it signals that the Saudi and Arab position is not anti-Israel per se, but pro-two-state solution. The concern is framed as a risk to “any sustainable peace at all,” a peace that would include Israeli security. 

This aligns with the broader context of the Arab Peace Initiative, originally proposed by Saudi Arabia in 2002. That offer—full normalization of relations between Arab states and Israel in exchange for a withdrawal to the 1967 borders and a just solution for refugees—remains on the table. Prince Faisal’s comments reinforce that the pathway to regional integration and security for Israel runs through Ramallah, not around it. The choice presented is between a fortress Israel surrounded by enemies and an Israel integrated into a stable region, with a Palestinian state as its partner. 

A Horizon of Hope, Contingent on Political Courage 

The enduring tragedy of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is that the outline of a solution has been clear for decades. The gaps, while significant, are not the chasms of impossibility that partisans often claim. As Prince Faisal noted, the Palestinian Authority has signaled a willingness to approach negotiations “in a reasonable and pragmatic way.” The international community, through the New York Declaration, has provided a updated blueprint. 

The missing ingredient, now as then, is the “serious will”—the political courage to make difficult compromises. For Israel, this means confronting the settlement enterprise and embracing a sovereign Palestinian neighbor as the lesser risk compared to perpetual occupation. For the Palestinians, it means consolidating governance and unequivocally rejecting violence. For the United States and other major powers, it means applying consistent pressure and incentives to both sides, moving beyond unwavering support for one or rhetorical sympathy for the other. 

Prince Faisal bin Farhan’s message from New York is a challenge to this paralysis. It argues that the issues are not insurmountable; they are political. By linking the urgent need to heal Gaza to the imperative of statehood, Saudi Arabia is attempting to break the cycle. It posits that the only way to truly honor the dead is to finally secure a future for the living—one built on the foundation of a state, not just the temporary respite of a ceasefire. The question remains whether the world’s leaders, in Israel, Palestine, and powerful capitals, will listen before the next cycle of rubble and ruin begins.