26 Apr 2024
Saturday 23 January 2016 - 16:22
Story Code : 198184

Netanyahu: Saudi Arabia sees Israel as an ally

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Saudi Arabia now sees Tel Aviv"as an ally rather asan enemy" as he claims"a great shift taking place" in the Arab policy toward the Palestinian issue.

Saudi Arabia recognizes that Israel is an ally rather than an enemy because of the two principle threats that threaten them, Iran and Daesh," he told CNNs Fareed Zakaria on the sidelines ofthe World Economic Forum in Davos Friday.

Both Saudi Arabia and Israel are fiercely opposed to a nuclear accord between Iran and the West which came into force recently. They are worried the agreement couldboost Iran's role in the region.

Last week,The Wall Street Journalreported that Israel was actively seeking to strengthen ties with Arab powers in the wake of the nuclear deal with Iran.

Daesh ideology is rooted in Wahhabism which is widely promoted by Saudi clerics and tolerated by the kingdom's rulers. Both Saudi Arabia and Israel support Takfiri groups fighting in Syria. Meanwhile, there is no known case of a Daesh attack on either Saudi or Israeli targets.

Netanyahu also said"there is a great shift taking place" in the Saudi-led policy toward the Palestinian issue, citing Israel's "relationships" with unknown Arab states.

"By nurturing these relationships that are taking place now with the Arab world, that could actually help us resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and were actually working towards that end, he said.

Netanyahus overtures to Saudi Arabia and its alliescome in the midst of international outcry after Tel Avivdeclared 154 hectares (380 acres) of Palestinian territoryin the Jordan Valley as state lands.

Yuval Steinitz, Israels minister for national infrastructure, energy, and water,returnedrecentlyfrom an energy conference in the (UAE), where Tel Avivrecentlyestablisheda diplomatic mission. Israels Channel 2 suggested that the real aim of the trip may have been for the two sides to covertly conduct strategy meetings.

In recent months, Egyptreturnedits ambassador to Tel Aviv while a group of Jordanian pilots paid a working visittoIsrael andtrainedclosely with their Israeli counterparts during US-sponsored military exercises.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also recently expressed an interest in easing up tensions with Israel afterreachingan agreement torestorerelations last month.Sudan is alsosaidto be considering normalizing ties with Israel.

By Press TV
https://theiranproject.com/vdcaaan6y49no61.tgk4.html
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