[IsraelTimes] In interview with Telegram channel, PM says border deal with Syria ’preferable’ but won’t budge on security demands; Israel to boost arms industry to ease reliance on US
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted that there will not be a Paleostinian state, even at the cost of normalization with Saudi Arabia
 ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula, largely made up of sand and oil rigs. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual haj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. Formerly dictatorial and steeped in Olde Tyme Religion, deferring to Salafist holy men on all issues, it has now done a 180 and is making a serious effort to modernize, so as not to be left in the sand by its Gulf Arab neighbors. The holy men have been shoved to the background and the nation is now still dictatorial but somewhat rational. That doesn't make them trustworthy, but it's a start...
, during an interview aired on Thursday evening.
"There will not be a Paleostinian state. It’s very simple: it will not be established," the premier said in the wide-ranging interview with Abu Ali Express, a popular local Telegram channel.
Asked by the interviewer if his opposition holds even if it jeopardizes normalization with Riyadh — which insists on a credible pathway to Paleostinian statehood in exchange for such ties — Netanyahu said: "The answer is: a Paleostinian state will not be established. It is an existential threat to Israel."
Asked about what has prevented normalization with the Saudis, Netanyahu said the war in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response ...
strained progress, but that "the conditions could develop" now that the war is winding down.
"But the conditions must be acceptable to both sides — terms that are good for both sides," he said. "I know how to stand firm on our essential conditions and not endanger our security. And if this process ripens later on, excellent. And if not, we will safeguard our vital interests."
Earlier in the week, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
...Crown Prince and modernizer of Saudi Arabia as of 2016. The Turks hate him, so he must be all right, despite the occasional brutal murder of Qatar-owned journalists...
said that Riyadh wants to join the Abraham Accords, but called for the need to secure a path toward a two-state solution, while meeting US President Donald Trump
...dictatorial for repealing some (but not all) of the diktats of his predecessor, misogynistic because he likes pretty girls, homophobic because he doesn't think gender bending should be mandatory, truly a man for all seasons...
at the White House.
Turning to the Gaza Strip, Netanyahu told the channel that Israel will reopen the Rafah border crossing on the Egypt-Gaza border after it receives the three remaining deceased hostages from Hamas
..one of the armed feet of the Moslem Brüderbund millipede,...
, adding that Israel is "very close to completing" the process.
"We agreed that we will open the crossing after we receive all our hostages. We are very close to completing this process — it’s set to happen — and once that is completed, we will open the crossing," the premier said.
Netanyahu added that, once all the hostages are returned and the crossing is reopened, he "will be very happy to see Egypt allowing any Gazook who wants to leave [through the crossing] to do so — because that has not happened until today."
"Any Gazook who wants to leave should be able to, and that right has been denied to them," he continued, adding that Washington’s 20-point plan for Gaza "included that right: it sets out the principle that any Gazook who wants to leave can leave. You’re not expelling anyone, but if a person wants to leave, let them leave. If Egypt accepts that — I think that’s very positive."
The Paleostinian Authority embassy in Egypt has pushed for the reopening of the crossing, which has been largely closed since Israeli forces entered Rafah in May 2024, to allow Paleostinians residing in Egypt to return to Gaza. Egypt has repeatedly vowed to block any "displacement" of Gazooks from the war-torn Gaza Strip, calling it a "red line" for Cairo.
DEAL WITH SYRIA ’PREFERABLE,’ BUT BORDER DEFENSE WILL HOLD ’WITH OR WITHOUT AGREEMENT’
A day after visiting an outpost in the IDF-held buffer zone in southern Syria, Netanyahu said that a security agreement with Damascus was his favored option but that Israel won’t compromise on border security and protecting minorities in the neighboring country.
"I believe Syria has an interest — no less than Israel, and perhaps even more — in reaching a security agreement with us," the premier said.
Asked about Syrian President Al Sharaa’s interest in such an arrangement, which has been under US-mediated negotiation, Netanyahu said that "there are various conditions involved — I won’t get into that."
"But the important point is this: Israel is a very strong country. Israel is very determined. We will not allow threats to develop against us from southwest Syria, and we are also determined to protect our Druze allies" in the country, he said.
"Whether Syria wants to do this through an agreement — that is a separate question. In my view, an agreement is preferable. But the principles of defending our borders and defending our allies will be upheld in any case — with or without an agreement," he said.
Israel also wants to reach an arrangement with The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund...
, Netanyahu said, but can’t rule out the country becoming a threat to the Jewish state.
"I hope that threat doesn’t materialize, but we can’t rule it out," Netanyahu told the Abu Ali Express.
Relations between the two countries — formerly close allies — collapsed once again during the two-year war in Gaza, as Ottoman Turkish President His Enormity, Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First
...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really more important...
praised the Hamas terror group and accused Israel of committing genocide.
"We prefer a modus vivendi with Turkey," Netanyahu continued. "They’re very stubborn and speak in an extreme way, and we push back on it. But in practice, we prevented their entry into southern Syria. They wanted to come in near our border — I said this will not happen. We also didn’t want them entering central Syria at the T-4 base — and we even struck that airfield."
At the same time, Netanyahu said, Israel "maintains dialogue beyond the headlines, telling them there’s mutual interest in avoiding confrontation."
Despite the attempts by Israel to find ways to reduce tensions, Israel’s military force design moving forward will be affected by what capabilities Turkey develops, he said.
"We do not intend to relinquish our military superiority," Netanyahu stressed.
"We’re not seeking enemies, but we won’t let any country in the region threaten us."
Asked about the possibility of Turkey receiving the F-35 from the US after Saudi Arabia, Netanyahu said, "That possibility is extremely distant, if it even exists at all."
ISRAEL AIMS TO BUILD INDEPENDENT ARMS PRODUCTION TO REDUCE RELIANCE ON US
Netanyahu also said he is working on an initiative to develop Israel’s independent munitions production with minimal dependence on the US — Israel’s primary defense partner and arms supplier — in the coming decade.
"I’m currently holding discussions — including a very serious four-hour meeting yesterday — on our armament plans for the coming decade, and there are several components involved," Netanyahu told Abu Ali Express.
"The most important thing is that we want to strengthen our independent capabilities... the central point is that I want to eliminate, or at least significantly reduce, our dependence on external supplies — even from very good and truly loyal friends like the United States. I want us to be as self-reliant as possible," the premier continued.
Netanyahu said he wants the IDF’s combat capabilities to continue "surpassing every other actor in the region," saying this "requires a complex reorganization — significant resources and many decisions."
"We need to signal to every actor in the region — friendly, less friendly, and hostile — that Israel is the strongest country here... That is the policy. It’s called peace through strength," he said.
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