Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday he was pleased with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s optimistic tone about ongoing efforts to normalize relations between the two countries.
“I was very pleased to hear what he had to say,” Netanyahu told Fox News political anchor Bret Baier in an exclusive interview with Special Report following his speech to the United Nations General Assembly in New York City. “I think we are getting closer to peace every day.”
Netanyahu’s comments came in response to Baier’s world-exclusive interview with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) this week about the ongoing talks between the kingdom and Israel.
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Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier (left) interviews Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after his address Friday to the United Nations General Assembly in New York City. (Fox News)
“Every day we get closer it seems real for the first time. We can see how it goes,” said the prince.
The prince called the potential agreement “the largest historic agreement since the end of the Cold War,” which he said would be based on agreements related to the treatment of Palestinians. He insisted that his country could work with Israel no matter who was in charge and announced the deal.”
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“If we manage to reach an agreement that meets Palestinians’ needs and ensures calm in the region, we will work with everyone who is there,” MBS said.
The prince gave no details about what he wants for the Palestinians. Netanyahu said the Palestinians should be part of the peace process, but they “should not have a veto over the process.”
“The reason we didn’t have any new peace treaties for a quarter of a century, after we made peace with Egypt and Jordan, was that we didn’t have a single new peace treaty for 25 years, because everyone said: first you have to fulfill everything, whatever always “It is the demands of the Palestinians,” Netanyahu told Baier. “You have to sign a peace treaty with the Palestinians. Well, there was just one problem: the Palestinians don’t want peace with Israel.”
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Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier spoke with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the king’s first interview with a major U.S. news network since 2019. (Fox News)
“They want peace instead of Israel. They don’t want a state next to Israel,” Netanyahu added. “They want a state instead of Israel. So that wouldn’t get us anywhere.”
During his speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, Netanyahu said both nations were “on the cusp” of a breakthrough that would lead to a peace deal.
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Israel has normalized relations with six countries near its borders, including Egypt and Jordan. Four nations did so following the 2020 Abraham Accords.
“There is no question that the Abraham Accords heralded the beginning of a new era of peace. But I believe we are on the threshold of an even more dramatic breakthrough, a historic peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia,” Netanyahu said. “Peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia will truly create a new Middle East.”
He said there were still hurdles before a peace deal could be reached, but it was up to world leaders to come together and put their differences aside.
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“I think if there are three leaders and three countries that desperately want an outcome – the United States under President Biden, Saudi Arabia under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Israel under my term – then I think that that really increases the possibility that we can succeed.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.