“Clearly, the Saudis are now going to demand a very high price in terms of meaningful concessions towards Palestinians. Netanyahu is not going to want to do that at all,” said Coates Ulrichsen. “But there is an opportunity for [Saudi Crown Prince] Mohammed bin Salman to position himself as the man who got the Palestinians their state – if he can do it. He knows that the Israelis and the US, especially the US, really want normalization to happen, regardless of whether it is Biden or Trump again.”
Norman is quoted in German-language outlet Taz on funding cuts to UNRWA, the United Nations agency responsible for aiding Palestinian refugees.
As Saudi Arabia introduces policy that will allow its first alcohol shop and says its goal is “to counter the illicit trade of alcohol goods and products received by diplomatic missions,” Coates Ulrichsen said the framing of this news “is likely intended to send a subtle message that change may be on the way, but that the process will be incremental and tightly controlled.”
Coates Ulrichsen shared his perspective on current events in the Middle East with Politics365.com.
On March 2, Rice University’s School of Social Sciences Master of Global Affairs Program will host the 2024 NASPAA Student Simulation Competition. “I am very glad to see that this year’s topic is forced displacement, which is both a politically difficult subject and one that greatly affects real people’s lives,” Norman said.