A Saudi prince and a former adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared on stage together at a political event in Washington on Thursday, in a rare joint session between officials from Saudi Arabia and Israel, the Times of Israel reports.
Prince Turki al-Faisal and retired IDF Maj. Gen. Yaakov Amidror appeared at a debate hosted by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, where they discussed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, shared misgivings over the Iran nuclear deal and other regional concerns.
The two men were in agreement over Iran and Hezbollah as the greatest enemies, and they was sharing mutual concerns over the nuclear deal and its implications for the distribution of power across the Middle East region.
Al-Faisal declared that the Middle East must be a “weapons of mass destruction free zone,” while Amidror stated his belief that Iran would build a bomb “toward the end of the agreement.”
The Saudi prince acknowledged a discreet level of cooperation between the two countries on the matter of regional threats, but said that the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians made it difficult for Arab countries to partner with Israel.
“Cooperation between Arab countries and Israel in meeting threats, from wherever they come…is better fortified if there is peace between the Arab nations and Israel,” Al-Faisal said.
The two were also in agreement over the situation in Syria, with Al-Faisal calling President Bashar al-Assad a “monster” and Amidror declaring that “the best outcome for Syria is to become free and democratic,” the Times of Israel says.
