Netanyahu talks with Saudi media about normalization with Riyadh

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Saudi news channel Al Arabiya interviewed Israeli occupation Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, which saw the Israeli premier touching on "Tel Aviv's" relations with Arab states, the structure of the US alliance in the region, the Israeli government, and the future of the maritime demarcation agreement reached with Lebanon.

According to the Israeli premier now facing scrutiny over his alliance with the Israeli so-called far-right, Saudi Arabia is key to ending the "Arab-Israeli conflict", as he called it, stressing that normalization with the kingdom was one of his top priorities.

"I think we can have a new peace initiative that will form a quantum leap for the achievement for the resolution of [...] the Arab-Israeli conflict and ultimately [...] And of course, I'm referring to what could be a truly remarkable historic peace with Saudi Arabia," Netanyahu told the Saudi news channel.

"It will be a quantum leap for an overall peace between Israel and the Arab world. It will change our region in ways that are unimaginable," the premier claimed.

Israeli media reported in November that Netanyahu hinted that one of his main goals in the coming period would be to normalize ties with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

It was reported that Netanyahu said in an interview with the Republican Jewish Alliance held in Las Vegas that his goal is to "include new countries" in the normalization agreements, before adding, "especially one more country."

Meanwhile, Netanyahu had told CNN, that "The Abraham Accords [normalization agreements] would not have taken place without tacit Saudi approval."

Netanyahu said that in case he assumes leadership once again, then he intends to achieve full "peace agreements" with Saudi Arabia, as well as with other Arab states.

"I think that the alliance, the traditional alliance with Saudi Arabia and other countries, has to be reaffirmed," he told Al Arabiya. "I believe in open covenants, secretly arrived at or discreetly arrived at," he later added, clearly in reference to the Saudi-Israeli covert alliance.

"Of course, it’s up to the to the leadership of Saudi Arabia if they want to partake in this effort. I certainly hope they would," he added.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu also touched on the maritime agreement reached with Lebanon, saying that he was concerned "that the revenues that come out of the sea that I think heavily favored Lebanon, do not favor Lebanon. They favor Hezbollah." 

"[...] I'll see what I can do to moderate any damage or to secure Israel's economic and security interests," he stressed.

"Continual negotiations are there, and there have been border adjustments, by the way, on both sides, over the years. They have been tactical, and I don't think there is a major claim for a major shift, not a serious one," he told Al Arabiya.

According to the Saudi news channel, Netanyahu underlined that he would not repudiate the US-brokered maritime agreement reached with Beirut.

The Israeli occupation cabinet approved in mid-October the US-brokered maritime border agreement with Lebanon, with all its members voting in favor, except Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked who abstained, Israeli media reported.

Israeli media, however, criticized the agreement, saying the maritime demarcation agreement between Lebanon and "Israel" is the biggest ever strategic mistake committed by Israeli occupation Prime Minister Yair Lapid.