Israelis have ‘right’ to homeland: MBS

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s crown prince said in a published interview that Israelis are entitled to live peacefully on their own land, another public sign of an apparent thawing in ties between the two countries.

Asked if he believes the Jewish people have a right to a nation state in at least part of their ancestral homeland, Mohammad bin Salman was quoted by US magazine The Atlantic as saying: “I believe the Palestinians and the Israelis have the right to have their own land. But we have to have a peace agreement to assure the stability for everyone and to have normal relations.” Meanwhile, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who’s being courted by Washington elites and Hollywood moguls alike during a cross-country American trip, had a conversation with The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg about the state of play in the Middle East and his vision for 2030.

One key quote on Iran and its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei: “I believe the Iranian supreme leader makes Hitler look good. Hitler didn’t do what the supreme leader is trying to do. Hitler tried to conquer Europe. … The supreme leader is trying to conquer the world.”

Saudi Arabia - birthplace of Islam and site of its holiest shrines - does not officially recognise Israel. It has maintained for years that normalising relations hinges on an Israeli withdrawal from Arab lands captured in the 1967 Middle East war - territory Palestinians seek for a future state.

“We have religious concerns about the fate of the holy mosque in Jerusalem and about the rights of the Palestinian people. This is what we have. We don’t have any objection against any other people,” said Prince Mohammad, who is touring the United States to drum up investments and support for his efforts to contain Iranian influence.

Increased tension between Tehran and Riyadh has fuelled speculation that shared interests may push Saudi Arabia and Israel to work together against what they regard as a common Iranian threat.

“There are a lot of interests we share with Israel and if there is peace, there would be a lot of interest between Israel and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries,” Prince Mohammad added.

Meanwhile, King Salman reiterated Saudi Arabia’s support for a Palestinian state after his son and heir apparent said Israelis were entitled to live peacefully on their own land - a rare statement by an Arab leader. The king also emphasised the need to advance the peace process in a phone call with US President Donald Trump on Monday night, made after Israeli security forces killed 16 Palestinians last week during a demonstration along the Israel-Gaza border.

King Salman reaffirmed, “The kingdom’s steadfast position towards the Palestinian issue and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital”, state news agency SPA said on Tuesday.