Saudi Gazette report
DOHA — Saudi Arabia’s Minister Plenipotentiary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Manal Radwan, said on Saturday that meaningful peace cannot be achieved without reforming the Israeli government, warning that “spoilers” seeking to divert or redefine the U.S.-backed 20-point peace plan must be confronted.
Speaking at the Doha Forum, Dr. Radwan said Israel’s current leadership “opposes the two-state solution” and includes officials who “continuously incite against Palestinians, against Arabs, against Muslims,” adding that Saudi Arabia does not see “a partner for peace not even a partner for a sustainable ceasefire.”
She stressed that implementing the 20-point plan and the related UN Security Council resolution is, in itself, a form of needed reform.
“To really get into a sustainable peace and security… to end this conflict and implement President Trump’s 20-point peace plan, that is the reform we are hoping to see,” she said.
Dr. Radwan clarified that the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution emerged after “many diplomatic efforts,” noting that Spain had advanced important groundwork, while the initiative itself is jointly led by Norway, Saudi Arabia, and the European Union, with Saudi Arabia chairing the Arab O.
She emphasized that the alliance is defined by implementation: “Almost everyone in the international community agrees that the two-state solution is the only solution forward. If that is so, then the question becomes: What is everyone going to do to make implementation possible?”
When asked whether the alliance aligns with the 20-point plan, she said: “Yes, of course,” noting the role Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Indonesia, Pakistan and others played in shaping the initiative with the United States. She added that the plan offers “hope” because it carries the personal commitment of the U.S. President.
“Leader-driven diplomacy is the best diplomacy,” she said.
Dr. Radwan said respecting the integrity of the 20-point plan is “the most crucial thing,” warning that any actor attempting to spoil or divert from it “needs to be addressed.”
“We cannot be open to redefinition and renegotiation of what we have already agreed to,” she said.
That includes the definition of a ceasefire, the meaning of disarmament, the requirement for a Palestinian-led process for governing Gaza, the principle of unifying Gaza and the West Bank, and the Palestinian right to self-determination.
“We cannot redefine these things back and forth and lose sight of the core of the conflict,” she said.
Dr. Radwan cautioned against treating Gaza in isolation.
“Gaza is not a case on its own… It is about the Palestinian conflict,” she said.
Whether discussing security, humanitarian access, or movement from one phase to the next, she said the process cannot be separated from the “ultimate objective” security for all, regional integration, and the realization of a Palestinian state.
“If we do not ensure the security and the political aspirations of Palestinians, then there is no security for anyone including Israel and the region at large,” she said.
Dr. Radwan warned that the international community has “seen this movie before”.
“A war in Gaza, followed by international engagement, followed by humanitarian appeals, then political fatigue, then a more violent escalation.”
She said the only way to break this cycle is implementing a pathway that provides both security and political fulfillmentfor Palestinians.
Responding to a question on reforms, Dr. Radwan said the Palestinian Authority has been engaged in reform efforts “for the past 30 years,” and President Mahmoud Abbas has committed to a “robust reform plan.”
Saudi Arabia, she stressed, works “daily” with the PA to support those efforts.
But she added that the more urgent reform remains on the Israeli side.
“We have an Israeli government that opposes the two-state solution,” she said. “So that is the actual and important reform we are hoping to see.”
