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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says ongoing cooperation with Saudi Arabia against Iran is a greater priority and a larger problem than Riyadh’s “horrendous” murder of its critic Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey.
Netanyahu made the remarks on Friday as his first public reaction to the premeditated assassination of Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
“What happened at the Istanbul consulate was horrendous and it should be duly dealt with. But at the same time, it is very important for the stability of the region and the world that Saudi Arabia remain stable,” the Israeli premier said in Sofia, Bulgaria.
He referred to Iran as “a larger problem” compared with the assassination of Khashoggi, and called for finding a way to deal with the case which does not disrupt cooperation with Saudi Arabia against Iran.
The remarks came shortly after The Washington Post revealed on Thursday that Netanyahu has asked US President Donald Trump to continue supporting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman despite accusations that he ordered a hit job on Khashoggi last month.
The Israeli PM had asked top US officials recently not to abandon their support for bin Salman over the killing of Khashoggi, according to multiple reports.
According to The Washington Post, Netanyahu has specifically told the White House that the crown prince is a key strategic partner and a linchpin of the US-Israeli front against Iran's regional influence.
Later on Thursday, it was also reported that bin Salman had met with a delegation of pro-Israeli advocates in Riyadh, led by Joel C. Rosenberg, a dual US-Israeli author and activist who runs the Jashua Fund pro-Israeli charity.
Mike Evans, founder of the Friends of Zion Museum in Jerusalem al-Quds, was also among the participants of the meeting.
In his Friday comments in Bulgaria, Netanyahu said the Khashoggi case should not distract the world from ensuring that Iran does not continue what he called “malign activities it has been engaged in over the last few weeks in Europe.”
“Blocking Iran is at the top of our agenda for security, not merely for Israel but I believe for Europe and the world as well,” he added.
Netanyahu’s comments alluded to the accusations leveled against the Islamic Republic regarding two alleged assassination and bombing plots in France and Denmark, which Iran calls ‘false flags’ launched by the Israeli spy agency.
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