Saudi Prince Says Israel Is a Potential Ally, Not an Enemy

(Bloomberg) -- Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler said he sees Israel as a potential ally with shared interests, not an enemy, but that it must solve its conflict with the Palestinians first.

“We hope that the problem between the Israelis and the Palestinians will be resolved,” Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said, in comments that the official Saudi Press Agency attributed to an interview with The Atlantic magazine but which weren't published.

“We do not view Israel as an enemy, but rather as a potential ally in the many interests that we can pursue together, but some issues must be resolved before we can reach that.”

The statement was a subtle shift from the official Saudi line, which has long held that Israel and Saudi Arabia could establish a relationship once the state resolves its conflict with the Palestinians, but perhaps not a friendship.

Iran Relations

Saudi Arabia and Israel have security interests that became more aligned in recent years as tensions with mutual rival Iran escalated. Two of the kingdom's neighboring countries -- the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain -- officially normalized relations with Israel in 2020, but Saudi Arabia has yet to follow suit.

On Iran, Prince Mohammed said the Islamic Republic was its neighbor so the two countries should find a way to coexist. World powers are now engaged in a final bout of intense diplomacy in an effort to restore a landmark 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, a pact that Israel and the Saudis have criticized.

“We have had discussions, and we have heard many statements from Iranian leaders that are very welcome in Saudi Arabia,” he said. “I hope we can reach a position that is good for both countries, and a bright future for Saudi Arabia and Iran.”

The prince's quotes, which weren't included in the The Atlantic's article about the interview, were published in Arabic by Saudi state media. The Atlantic didn't immediately respond to an inquiry about whether the Arabic transcript was accurate.

Asked if he wanted U.S. President Joe Biden to know anything about him, Prince Mohammed said that “didn't matter” to him, without clarifying what he meant.

“It's up to him to think about America's interests, so let him do that,” he said.

Relations between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, historic allies, have been strained under the Biden administration. On the campaign trail about a year after the killing of Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi, Biden lambasted Riyadh for its human rights record, saying he would turn the kingdom into a “pariah.”

He's elected to communicate directly with Prince Mohammed's father, King Salman, rather than the prince, who runs the kingdom's day to day affairs -- a move perceived as a major slight by the Saudi leadership.

International pressure won't work to change the kingdom, Prince Mohammed said in the interview.

“No one has the right to interfere in our internal affairs,” he said.