Video: Netanyahu at the UN: We are on the verge of peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia, the Palestinians must not have a veto/UN website
"I think we're getting closer to an agreement with Saudi Arabia every day that gets closer. We have a limited window of opportunity to reach an agreement in the coming months, otherwise the process could take years," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Burt Bayer on Fox News on Saturday.
Asked if the State of Israel would agree to grant benefits to the Palestinians as part of the agreement, Netanyahu replied, "I think the Palestinians should be part of the process, but not have a veto over it. I would be willing to consider benefits for the Palestinians without endangering Israel's peace." He claimed that "the reason that for a quarter of a century no peace agreement was signed with the Arab states is because they always wanted to involve the Palestinians, the Abraham Accords were born out of the fact that for the first time in 25 years, we bypassed the Palestinians and spoke directly with the United Arab Emirates."
On concerns about internal opposition from within the coalition parties to the agreement if it contains benefits for the Palestinians, Netanyahu said: "The problem will not come from the coalition, this is an agreement that will change the region and even the world, and when a policy with broad agreement is presented, they will have to join it."
Watch the full interview
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech at the UN General Assembly, September 22, 2023/Reuters
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In a speech yesterday on the stage of the UN General Assembly, Netanyahu said: "Peace with the Arab states will end the Israeli-Arab conflict, encourage other Arab countries to normalize relations with Israel and increase the chances of peace with the Palestinians. Such an agreement will lead to reconciliation between Muslims and Jews." At this point, Netanyahu presented a map of the Middle East to demonstrate the regional benefits of peace with Saudi Arabia.
"Expanding the circle of peace in the region will help achieve peace with the Palestinians, but Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas must stop spreading anti-Semitic lies against the Jewish people and the Jewish state. He said that Hitler was not an anti-Semite. You can't invent things like that."
"The Palestinians need to recognize the right of the Jews to their own national home in Israel," Netanyahu said. "I yearn for such peace. I am committed to doing everything in my power to overcome the hurdles so that there will be a better future for all peoples in the region."
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