The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, was interviewed last night (Wednesday) by the American Fox News network and, surprisingly, fully confirmed the advanced contacts for a normalization agreement with Israel.
Bin Salman: "The Palestinian issue is very important"
Bin Salman elaborated on the subject and said: "We have been engaging in good-faith negotiations with Israel, which have been ongoing until now. Every passing day brings us closer to a normalization agreement with Israel. The agreement being worked on by the Biden administration is the most historic since the end of the Cold War. It doesn't matter to us who the Israeli leader is; we will work with anyone if the agreement is achieved."
In the continuation of the extensive interview, Bin Salman also discussed the Palestinian issue and the reports that Saudi Arabia wants to ease conditions for Palestinians in exchange for an agreement. He said, "The Palestinian issue is very important. We need to address this aspect. We hope that the agreement will lead to an improvement in their lives and establish Israel as a player in the Middle East."
Subsequently, the Saudi Crown Prince also addressed reports that, as part of the agreement, Saudi Arabia will develop nuclear weapons and emphasized: "If Iran acquires nuclear weapons, we too will need to possess nuclear weapons in order to balance the power dynamics in the Middle East."
The Arab world is in turmoil: "betrayal of the Palestinians"
It should be noted that following the controversial interview, the Arab world was in turmoil, and the terrorist organization Hamas strongly condemned the statements. Arab social media platforms were abuzz with heated discussions, and accusations of the Saudi Crown Prince's acknowledgment being a "betrayal of the Palestinians" were widespread. Egypt also commented on the interview, asserting that support for the Palestinians should be a fundamental and central goal of any agreement.
Netanyahu to Biden: "The historic agreement is within reach"
This dramatic interview, as mentioned, was broadcast last night following the meeting between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Joe Biden, who is pushing for the agreement, but it was recorded before that. During the meeting, the leaders also discussed the mentioned agreement.
Netanyahu expressed openly and also acknowledged the advancing contacts: "I believe that under your leadership, we can achieve historic peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Such peace would contribute significantly to resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict, reconciling the Islamic world with the Jewish state, and promoting genuine peace between Israel and the Palestinians."
Netanyahu added and said: "This is something within our reach. I believe that through joint efforts, we can make history and create a better future for the region and beyond. Furthermore, by working together, we can confront the forces that threaten this future, foremost among them, Iran."