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Recently the Israeli journalist and media commentator Dr. Edy Cohen had on his show a senior Saudi journalist and former editor-in-chief of two major papers, Abdul Aziz Khamis. Khamis wanted to discuss the Jewish people and their claim to the Land of Israel. More on his appearance can be found here: “Jews are not just ‘Ashkenazim from Europe, they are part of our history,’ says Saudi journalist,” by Adi Cohen, Jerusalem Post, January 21, 2026:
“Peace is the only solution,” said Abdul Aziz Khamis, a veteran Saudi journalist and former editor-in-chief of prominent newspapers such as Al-Majalla and Al-Arab, in the tenth episode of the “Mizrahan” podcast on Wednesday.
In the podcast, hosted by Dr. Edy Cohen, Khamis shared his historical perspective on the Jewish people’s right to their land in a conversation conducted in Arabic and translated into Hebrew.
Dr. Cohen started the conversation by asking Khamis one question that concerns the Israeli public, “What happened to normalization? Why aren’t we seeing a breakthrough between Saudi Arabia and Israel right now?” he asked.
Khamis explained that the Saudi side “Insists on recognizing a Palestinian state as a prerequisite for any future dialogue,” as Israel does not accept this presented precondition, even despite agreements between the US and Saudi Arabia.
According to the Saudi journalist, “The problem also lies with the Palestinian leadership – it lacks an effective leadership that can convince the Israelis to pursue peace.” He added that regarding peace, Hamas, which draws from the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood, “Does not recognize Israel’s existence or the Jewish identity on Arab land. “
He says that the Palestinian Authority can’t convince “the Israelis to pursue peace” because they “lack an effective leadership“ to do so. But the Palestinians don’t want peace, and never have. Their ultimate goal is the disappearance of Israel and its replacement by a 23rd Arab state. That’s not just a question of who is running the PA, for no Palestinian leader is willing to accept the maximum that Israel is prepared to provide: not a sovereign “state of Palestine,” but an autonomous territory in parts of Judea and Samaria where the Palestinians, as Prime Minister Netanyahu has said, will “have all the power to rule themselves and none of the power to hurt us.”
Khamis explained that Hamas has destroyed the Oslo Accords through terrorist attacks, also being responsible for the October 7 massacre. “As long as there are elements operating with blood and hate, supported by Iran, peace remains distant,” he added.
As his second question, Dr. Cohen addressed the antisemitic nature of Mecca mosque sermons, which speak against Jews as people, and going beyond anti-Zionism, asking, “How does this fit with Saudi Arabia’s 2030 vision?”
The Saudi journalist answered, saying, “There are voices that are mistaken in their approach and in their choice of words, swept away by extreme propaganda. These preachers forget the Quran.”
No, these preachers do not forget the Qur’an. They know that according to that Islamic holy book, Muslims are “the best of peoples” (3:110) and non-Muslims the “most vile of created beings.” (98:6) They know that Muslims must not take “Jews and Christians as friends, for they are friends only with each other.” (5:51) They know that in meeting Unbelievers who refuse to submit, they should “strike at their necks.” (47:4) They know the dozens of other Qur’anic verses that call for violence against the infidels. These are the parts of the Qur’an that Abdul Aziz Khamis chooses not to mention, and hopes that his Jewish audience will not find out about.
He added, “In Surah Al-Baqara, verse 62, it clearly says that the believers, Jews, and Christians, anyone who believes in God and does good, their reward is secured, and they will not fear. Islamic principles acknowledge the People of the Book and their right to be different. I completely reject this [anti-Jewish rhetoric]. The Prophet Muhammad himself was married to a Jewish woman, and his relations with Jews were good until his death….
There are a few verses in the Qur’an that “acknowledge” Christians and Jews as “ahl al-kitab” or “People of the Book,” but then the Qur’an goes on to insist that while these People of the Book received the message of Allah they rejected it, and for that they deserve to be severely punished. As dhimmis, that is non-Muslims living in a Muslim land, they are subject to a host of political, social, and economic difficulties, the most onerous being the required payment of the capitation tax known as the “jizyah” (cf. Qur’an 9:29).
