Earlier in the week, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said<\/a> 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 at the White House.<\/p>\n \t 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, adding that Israel is \u201cvery close to completing\u201d the process.<\/p>\n \u201cWe agreed that we will open the crossing after we receive all our hostages. We are very close to completing this process \u2014 it\u2019s set to happen \u2014 and once that is completed, we will open the crossing,\u201d the premier said.<\/p>\n Netanyahu added that, once all the hostages are returned and the crossing is reopened, he \u201cwill be very happy to see Egypt allowing any Gazan who wants to leave [through the crossing] to do so \u2014 because that has not happened until today.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAny Gazan who wants to leave should be able to, and that right has been denied to them,\u201d he continued, adding that Washington\u2019s 20-point plan for Gaza \u201cincluded that right: it sets out the principle that any Gazan who wants to leave can leave. You\u2019re not expelling anyone, but if a person wants to leave, let them leave. If Egypt accepts that \u2014 I think that\u2019s very positive.\u201d<\/p>\n The Palestinian 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 Palestinians residing in Egypt to return to Gaza. Egypt has repeatedly vowed to block any \u201cdisplacement\u201d of Gazans from the war-torn Gaza Strip, calling it a \u201cred line\u201d for Cairo.<\/p>\n Deal with Syria \u2018preferable,\u2019 but border defense will hold \u2018with or without agreement\u2019<\/p>\n A day after visiting an outpost in the IDF-held buffer zone in southern Syria,<\/a> Netanyahu said that a security agreement with Damascus was his favored option but that Israel won\u2019t compromise on border security and protecting minorities in the neighboring country.<\/p>\n \u201cI believe Syria has an interest \u2014 no less than Israel, and perhaps even more \u2014 in reaching a security agreement with us,\u201d the premier said.<\/p>\n \t Asked about Syrian President Al Sharaa\u2019s interest in such an arrangement, which has been under US-mediated negotiation, Netanyahu said that \u201cthere are various conditions involved \u2014 I won\u2019t get into that.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut 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\u201d in the country, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhether Syria wants to do this through an agreement \u2014 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 \u2014 with or without an agreement,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Israel also wants to reach an arrangement with Turkey, Netanyahu said, but can\u2019t rule out the country becoming a threat to the Jewish state.<\/p>\n \u201cI hope that threat doesn\u2019t materialize, but we can\u2019t rule it out,\u201d Netanyahu told the Abu Ali Express.<\/p>\n Relations between the two countries \u2014 formerly close allies \u2014 collapsed once again during the two-year war in Gaza, as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan praised the Hamas terror group and accused Israel of committing genocide.<\/p>\n \t \u201cWe prefer a modus vivendi with Turkey,\u201d Netanyahu continued. \u201cThey\u2019re 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 \u2014 I said this will not happen. We also didn\u2019t want them entering central Syria at the T-4 base \u2014 and we even struck that airfield.\u201d<\/p>\n At the same time, Netanyahu said, Israel \u201cmaintains dialogue beyond the headlines, telling them there\u2019s mutual interest in avoiding confrontation.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the attempts by Israel to find ways to reduce tensions, Israel\u2019s military force design moving forward will be affected by what capabilities Turkey develops, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do not intend to relinquish our military superiority,\u201d Netanyahu stressed.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not seeking enemies, but we won\u2019t let any country in the region threaten us.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked about the possibility of Turkey receiving the F-35 from the US after Saudi Arabia, Netanyahu said, \u201cThat possibility is extremely distant, if it even exists at all.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AP25322652461136-640x400.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tPresident Donald Trump meets Saudi Arabia\u2019s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office of the White House, November 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Evan Vucci)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/PHOTO-2025-11-19-16-25-11-640x400.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (foreground) visits IDF troops in southern Syria, accompanied by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir (right), November 19, 2025. (Kobi Gideon\/GPO)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/c719c923-b66d-4671-8c68-cbc4aa03fd57-640x400.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets Turkey\u2019s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on September 19, 2023. (Avi Ohayon\/GPO)<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/a72ff66b-f688-46d4-8d3e-988aec891b69-640x400.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/F251028CG02-640x400.jpg\")
<\/a>