Israel has reenergized attempts to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia after the rich Gulf monarchy blindsided the Jewish state in March by agreeing to restore diplomatic ties with Iran, Israel’s main regional adversary, after seven years of estrangement.
"The Palestinian issue will not be an obstacle to peace with Saudi Arabia," the Israeli minister said in a rare interview published Sunday.
Cohen said a peace agreement between the two countries would make history and promised that a visit by the Saudi foreign minister would be a day of celebration for the Israeli government.
The top Israeli diplomat also claimed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government was committed to restoring the Palestinian economy. Israel has been in control of the Palestinian-majority West Bank in what the United Nations sees as a de facto annexation.