Saudi Arabia denounces settler rioting in Palestinian towns

The Saudi foreign ministry releases a statement stressing Riyadh’s “total rejection and condemnation” of settler rampages in Palestinian villages following a terror attack Tuesday in which four Israelis were killed.

“The ministry expresses the kingdom’s categorical rejection of acts of intimidation of Palestinian civilians, and renews its firm support for all international efforts aimed at reaching a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue,” the statement says.

The denunciation comes amid intensified US efforts to broker a normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia, and as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the pursuit of such an accord is one of his government’s leading priorities.