Jerusalem: Israel's designated prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday vowed to seek full diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia once he takes office, claiming that doing so would also promote peace with the Palestinians.
Netanyahu also said he would be open to restarting behind-the-scenes peace talks with the Palestinians.
The comments, made in a rare interview with an Arab news outlet, the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya news channel, appeared to be aimed at easing concerns over the far-right makeup of the government that Netanyahu is forming.
He has already reached a series of coalition agreements with hard-liners who favour tougher action against Palestinian militants, increased settlement construction in the occupied West Bank and vehemently reject the idea of an independent Palestinian state.