Normalization with Israel? Saudis need to make that choice, Haskel tells 'Post'

With a French-Saudi conference, geared toward Palestinian statehood, approaching, Haskel said that the Gulf monarchy needs to “make a decision” on whether to support Palestinian statehood or normalize relations with Israel.

“It’s a religious cause. It’s not a territorial aspiration in a sense of a state, but for the entire land. And I think that the Saudis need to make that choice as well, like Egypt did, like Jordan did, like the Emiratis, Bahrainis did,” the deputy foreign minister said.

Asked whether normalization is possible without Israel having to commit to Palestinian statehood, Haskel answered that she “believes so.”

The French-Saudi conference is “just another attempt to gain public international attention,” Haskel said, arguing that it would “not change reality.”

By initiating the conference, French President Emmanuel Macron is “rewarding” the October 7 Hamas massacre, Haskel said. The conference, while declaratory, could also give Hamas a “breath of fresh air” and “takes us further from a ceasefire,” since Hamas will “continue to say no,” because by “holding on a little further” it will be rewarded, Haskel said.

“If the initiative would have been taken down a long time ago... I think a month and a half ago Hamas would have agreed to a ceasefire,” but such declarations gave Hamas “more oxygen,” Haskel said.

Since the interview with Haskel on Monday, Macron rescinded his participation in the conference.

Haskel, 41, was born in Toronto, and moved to Israel as an infant, growing up in Kfar Saba. She served in the Border Police during the Second Intifada, and, following her service, studied veterinary nursing in Australia. She later earned a BA in political science and international relations from the Open University.

Haskel entered the Knesset in 2015 as a member of the Likud, and stood out for her liberal stance on civil liberties and her strong advocacy for cannabis legalization and animal rights. She later joined Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s New Hope Party, which ran under National Unity in the 2022 election, but broke away in March 2024. The party rejoined the government in September. Haskel is fluent in Hebrew, English, and French.

According to Haskel, Israel’s enemies have been attempting “since the foundation of Israel” to utilize international forums and organizations against Israel, but that this has increased during the ongoing war, to a point where it endangers Israel’s ability to defend itself. Haskel also criticized what she said are “biased media” in many countries for leading to public anti-Israel pressure.

Haskel said that she and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar are working constantly in order to maintain Israel’s relationships with countries. She gave as an example her and Sa’ar’s many recent trips to key European countries.

She defended the government’s negotiation strategy with Hamas, arguing that while returning the hostages is of utmost importance, Israel “cannot surrender to Hamas,” because then it is “only matter of time” before it commits another massacre.

Haskel dismissed public officials and experts who have called for the release of all hostages even at the price of ending the war with Hamas in power, since Hamas can still be defeated in the future, while the hostages do not have time. This is not how the negotiations work, Haskel said. Hamas isn’t naive and would only settle for international guarantees that would effectively block Israel from reinvading Gaza. Israel could not agree to this, she said.

Haskel echoed arguments by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other ministers that the key to removing Hamas from power is by blocking its ability to profit off of humanitarian aid.

The “old channel” of UN-backed aid “does not work,” as the aid is looted and ends up reaching Hamas, Haskel said. The new system run by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Fund, which distributes aid in specifically designated centers, is causing Hamas to respond “hysterically,” which proves that it is an effective way to wrest power away from the terrorist group.

Haskel said that comparing the new idea of building a “humanitarian city” near Rafah to a concentration camp – a comparison made by certain Israeli politicians – is “shameful.” According to Haskel, the city’s purpose would be to serve as a “protected area” where civilians can be safe until Israel is “able to eliminate Hamas.”

Haskel decried what she viewed as the hypocrisy of opponents to the idea. She argued that, unlike in other war zones, such as Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan, and Ukraine, where civilians were able to flee to neighboring countries where they could safely wait out the war, Gazans cannot do so, and therefore Israel must find a way to provide civilians with a safe zone. International and domestic critics are disparaging Israel for harming civilians, but also for its attempts to shield civilians from harm, Haskel argued.

“You need to make a choice. Either you take responsibility and you shelter them, or you accept what we see as a proper shelter for civilians,” Haskel said.

She said that Israel’s preferred option is that Gaza would be ruled after the war by an “international committee with our Abrahamic friends that will be in charge, not just of reconstruction, but of looking after the civilian aspect... about the education system and the sewage and everything that’s needed.

“This will be in collaboration with Israel [and] with the Americans, to try and liberate the Palestinian society from the hold of terrorist organizations to live a better life,” she said.

Haskel stressed education as a key factor in enabling Israelis and Palestinians to live side by side peacefully, specifically “how to de-radicalize a population that’s been indoctrinated for generations by a terrorist radical organization, a Nazi ISIS organization.”

Haskel also addressed Israel’s 12-day operation against Iran that began on June 13. From a purely capabilities standpoint, the attacks set back the Iranian nuclear program by “two to three years,” Haskel said. But it also opened up diplomatic windows of opportunity, such as new normalization agreements that the public may hear about “within months,” she said.

“The Middle East is looking very closely at what Israel is doing, whether it’s capable of defending itself.... We could hear the singing and the celebrations all around the Middle East after we were able to obliterate Iran’s military nuclear program,” Haskel said. The entire region benefited from the attacks, because Iran is “the biggest cause of instability, biggest funders of terrorism,” she said.

“In the Middle East, you understand strength. And people want to be close to you after they also understand your capability,” Haskel said.

Iran stands at a crossroads, Haskel said. It can either turn to “real diplomacy” – as opposed to “lying and deceiving the international community and building a nuclear military program and weapon behind its back” – or continue to face Israel’s military threat.