Saudi ties with Israel would betray Palestinians: Raisi

UNITED NATIONS, United States: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Thursday accused regional rival Saudi Arabia of betraying the Palestinians by seeking to normalize relations with Israel.

“The initiation of a relationship between the Zionist regime and any country in the region, if it is with the aim to bring security for the Zionist regime, will certainly not do so,” Raisi told a news conference as he attended the UN General Assembly.

“We believe that a relationship between regional countries and the Zionist regime would be a stab in the back of the Palestinian people and of the resistance of the Palestinians,” he said.

Saudi Arabia and Israel have bonded in part over shared hostility to Iran´s clerical state, although Riyadh has moved to ease tensions with Tehran through talks brokered by China. Saudi Arabia´s de factor ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has said that US-brokered talks are moving forward on normalization with Israel.