Herzog calls for Saudi normalization, backs demand for Oct. 7 state commission

Nava Freiberg is The Times of Israel's deputy diplomatic correspondent.

President Isaac Herzog attends a conference organized by the Defense Ministry Rehabilitation Department held at the Tel Aviv University, March 25, 2025. (Tomer Neuberg/FLASH90)
President Isaac Herzog attends a conference organized by the Defense Ministry Rehabilitation Department held at the Tel Aviv University, March 25, 2025. (Tomer Neuberg/FLASH90)

President Isaac Herzog encourages normalization with Saudi Arabia and broader regional cooperation in a video message to a Channel 14 conference.

Speaking to the channel’s annual Israel Security Conference, the president says Israel should not only “completely push back the threats from Iran and its proxies, but also [should] develop treaties and agreements in the entire region, especially to move toward normalization with Saudi Arabia.”

Turning to internal affairs, Herzog says “the day after [the war] won’t be simple” for Israel, and conveys the desire of more than 1,000 bereaved families that he has met with since October 7 to establish a state commission of inquiry into the Hamas-led massacre.

He also stresses the need for Israelis “to listen to various opinions, to be respectful, and not to go to extremes and burn the bridges between us,” and says he will do his best to prevent such internal strife “especially in such a difficult time for our country and our nation.”

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