Saudi Arabia getting closer to Israel normalisation, crown prince says in rare interview
- The kingdom’s de facto ruler also warned that if Iran gets a nuclear weapon, his country will have to ‘get’ one
- US President Joe Biden is seeking to broker historic ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel, Washington’s top Middle East allies
Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in a US television interview that his country was moving steadily closer to normalising relations with Israel and also warned that if Iran gets a nuclear weapon, “we have to get one”.
“Every day we get closer,” the crown prince told Fox News according to excerpts of an interview to be shown later on Wednesday, when asked to characterise talks aimed at long-time foes Israel and Saudi Arabia reaching a landmark agreement to open diplomatic relations.
The conservative US network’s interview with the crown prince, widely known as MBS, comes as US President Joe Biden’s administration presses ahead with an effort to broker historic ties between the two regional powerhouses, Washington’s top Middle East allies.
The normalisation talks are the centrepiece of complex negotiations that also include discussions of US security guarantees and civilian nuclear help that Riyadh has sought, as well as possible Israeli concessions to the Palestinians.
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“For us, the Palestinian issue is very important. We need to solve that part,” MBS, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, said when asked what it would take to get a normalisation agreement. “And we have a good negotiations strategy till now.”
