Netanyahu contended that the Arab world is getting the message. He showed another slide with data from a Ministry of Foreign Affairs survey reporting that anywhere from 21% to 43% of the Arab public is interested in relations with Israel, including 23% in Saudi Arabia.
“The Arab countries understand exactly what I’m telling you now — that Israel is not their enemy. It is their indispensable partner for countering radicalism and terrorism, which threaten them as much as us,” Netanyahu said.
A reporter asked Netanyahu why Israel is cozying up to Saudi Arabia just as the CIA and the US Senate have concluded that the Saudi leader, Mohammad bin Salman (MBS), personally ordered the murder of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi.
Netanyahu called the Khashoggi case “horrific” and said nations that have relations with Saudi Arabia will have to decide how to deal with the kingdom in the wake of the revelations.
Having said that, Bibi added that any action has to be weighed against the important role that Saudi Arabia plays in the Middle East. If Saudi Arabia were to be destabilized, Netanyahu emphasized, not just the Middle East, but the entire world would suffer. “We always have tension between the human rights [on the one hand and] realpolitik,” Netanyahu said. “And I don’t deny it. There’s always a balance.”
(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 740)