MBS Says Israel Not an Enemy, Iran and KSA Must Seek to 'Coexist'

Saudi Arabia’s powerful crown price and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman has said that the kingdom does not look at Israel as an “enemy,” as he called for “coexistence” between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

“For us, we hope that the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians is solved. We don't look at Israel as an enemy, we look to them as a potential ally, with many interests that we can pursue together. But we have to solve some issues before we get to that,” Bin Salman said in an interview with U.S. magazine The Atlantic, according to an English-language transcript published by the official Saudi news agency SPA.

Asked about the tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the Crown Prince said: “They are neighbors. Neighbors forever. We cannot get rid of them, and they can't get rid of us. So it's better for both of us to work it out and to look for ways in which we can coexist.”

Noting that the two countries have recently held “four rounds of negotiation,” Bin Salman said Riyadh welcomes some statements that have been made by Iranian leaders, adding that the negotiations will continue.

“Hopefully, we can reach a position that's good for both countries and is going to create a brighter future for this country and Iran,” he added.

Asked whether any nuclear deal is better than “no deal,” the Crown Prince said: “Well, I believe any country around the world that has a nuclear bomb --that's dangerous, regardless if it's Iran or any other country. So we don't want to see that. And also, we don’t want to see a weak nuclear deal, because that's going to end up with the same conclusion.”

Saudi Arabia does not have diplomatic relations with Israel.

But in 2020 two of its main Gulf allies -- Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates -- normalised ties with Israel, becoming the third and fourth Arab states to do so after Egypt and Jordan.

The normalisation deals under the US-brokered Abraham Accords angered the Palestinians, who condemned them as a "stab in the back".

Saudi Arabia has repeatedly said it would stick to the decades-old Arab League position of not establishing official ties with Israel until the conflict with the Palestinians is resolved.

Prince Mohammed has, however, seemed more open than his father, King Salman, towards Israel, allowing its commercial aircraft to pass through Saudi air space.

Reports in November 2020 that Israel's then prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a secret visit to Saudi Arabia also sparked a flurry of speculation.

The kingdom, however, denies that a meeting took place with Prince Mohammed.