i24NEWS Exclusive: Former FM Eli Cohen says Saudi could normalize without Palestinian state

In an exclusive interview with i24News on Monday evening, Israel’s former Foreign Minister and current Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Eli Cohen, addressed the ongoing conflict in Gaza and the future of the region.

Speaking with "Middle East Now" host Laura Cellier eight months into the war, Cohen highlighted the necessity of Israeli military operations in Gaza, emphasizing the need to pressure Hamas and secure the release of hostages.

Responding to a recent barrage of rockets fired by Hamas at central Israel, Cohen defended the actions of the IDF. 

"I think this just comes to prove how necessary it was to operate in Rafah," he stated. "It was necessary to operate in Gaza in order to increase the pressure on Hamas and to release the hostages. It is also necessary in order to prevent this route of smuggling and tunnels coming in from Egypt into Rafah."

Addressing internal disagreements within the Israeli government, Cohen responded to Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for not having a post-war plan for Gaza. Cohen argued that the immediate priority should be the complete dismantling of Hamas’s military and governmental capabilities. 

"The main thing we need to do right now is to completely destroy Hamas's military and governmental capabilities," he asserted. "When they set out to finish off the Nazis in Germany, nobody thought about what would come after them."

Cohen outlined a vision where Israel maintains security control over Gaza without being involved in civilian governance. "The state of Israel has the intention to have security control over Gaza, but it has no intention to be involved in any kind of civilian control over Gaza," he said. 

He suggested that international elements, including the U.S., Europe, and moderate Arab countries, would handle civilian activities in Gaza during an interim period.

The minister was clear in his disagreement with Gallant’s stance on the matter. "I think that as Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant should first of all act against Hamas. That’s the main thing, that’s the most crucial thing," Cohen emphasized. He urged the Free World to support Israel, stating, "I expect the Free World to stand with Israel."

During the interview, Cohen also addressed Saudi Arabia's stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan recently expressed concerns over Israel’s refusal to accept a two-state resolution. 

Commenting on this, Cohen said, "The stance of Saudi Arabia, as expressed by Prince Faisal, highlights the international pressure on Israel to consider a two-state solution. However, our primary focus remains on eliminating the immediate threat posed by Hamas and ensuring the security of Israeli citizens." 

Cohen also said that he believes that Saudi Arabia could accept a U.S.-brokered normalization without a Palestinian state. 

Regarding the possibility of halting the war to negotiate the release of hostages, Cohen dismissed it outright. "The option to stop the war, as far as we're concerned, is not on the agenda right now," he declared. 

"We in Israel cannot continue to live here with these despicable murderers living next to us. Therefore, we will not agree to stop the war and we are going to continue to act against Hamas until we find the very last one of them."

Cohen also responded to potential legal actions against Israeli leaders by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ). 

He denounced these actions as antisemitic and scandalous, arguing that they unjustly equated Israel's self-defense with terrorism. "The decision of the prosecutor from the ICC is scandalous, it’s antisemitic," Cohen said. "President Biden has said that Hamas are even worse than ISIS. Chancellor Schultz in his visit in Israel has defined them as the new Nazis."

In defending Israel against allegations of attempting to permanently displace Gaza's population, Cohen reiterated Israel’s stance against the establishment of a Palestinian state. 

"We are saying very clearly we will not agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state here," he stated. "There are 22 Arab countries but there's only one country which is the homeland of the Jews and that is the state of Israel."

Cohen pointed out that despite Israel's complete withdrawal from Gaza 18 years ago, the region did not prosper but instead became a base for Hamas. 

"We gave Gaza to the Palestinians until the very last inch. Over the past 18 years there was not one Israeli in Gaza and they’re the ones who chose to commit that crime," he said. He also criticized those advocating for a Palestinian state while being unwilling to accept Palestinian refugees into their own countries.

Concluding the interview, Cohen emphasized the importance of creating a security buffer between Israel and Gaza to protect Israeli civilians.

He shared personal accounts from communities affected by the conflict, noting, "The people there are the ones who wanted peace the most, and the Palestinians used to work in these kibbutzim and moshavim, and the Palestinians entered their homes and massacred them."