"With regard specifically to normalisation, the crown prince reiterated Saudi Arabia's strong interest in pursuing that," Blinken told reporters in Doha a day after their meeting in Riyadh. 

"But he also made clear what he had said to me before, which is that in order to do that, two things will be required -- an end to the conflict in Gaza, and a clear, credible timebound path to the establishment of a Palestinian state."

Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's holiest sites, has never recognised Israel and did not join the 2020 US-brokered Abraham Accords that saw its Gulf neighbours Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates as well as Morocco establish formal ties with Israel.

US President Joe Biden's administration has pushed hard for Saudi Arabia to take the same step.

Under de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, son of the ageing King Salman, Riyadh had laid out conditions for normalisation, including security guarantees from Washington and help developing a civilian nuclear programme.

But momentum stalled after Hamas launched a large-scale attack on southern Israel on October 7, triggering the Israel-Hamas war. One week later, a source familiar with the normalisation talks told AFP Saudi Arabia had paused the process.

"We know the immense benefits that come for everyone concerned with Israel's further integration into the region, starting with the benefits for Israel," said Blinken, who is also visiting Israel as part of his Middle East tour.

"That's something that Israelis will have to decide for themselves."

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