Anwar Ashki, a close advisor of king Salman, said he supports peace with Israel. Photo: Screenshot.

A former Saudi general told i24news on Wednesday that he is committed to making peace with Israel, and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is vital to that process.

Anwar Ashki, one of the new Saudi king’s closest advisers, is the director of the Middle East Center for Strategic Studies in Jeddah. He is the man through whom Saudi Arabia and Israel are currently conducting talks.

Ashki said that peace between Israelis and Palestinians has failed until now, because no plans were made to implement peace. This, he said, is a reason for the failure of Saudi Arabia’s own 2002 peace proposal.

He also voiced positive views of Netanyahu, saying the Israeli leader is the key to establishing peace.

“We need Mr. Netanyahu, because he is a strong man, and he is a logical man. We need him to announce and accept a peace proposal.”

In contrast, Ashki expressed concern over Iran and its regional expansionism.

“Iran, thinking about the revival of the Persian Empire, are [sic] out to expand to Iraq and Syria until they reach to the Mediterranean, from which point they’ll set their sights onto Egypt and Europe. This is just a dream. Their methods for realizing their goals is destabilizing the area, and they can’t control all the havoc they have wreaked in Iraq, in Syria, in Lebanon etc,” he said.