Israeli President Isaac Herzog said on Monday that "nothing would make him happier than shaking hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman."

The Israeli president's office said in a statement that Herzog was answering a question at a press conference he held in Berlin during a current visit to Germany.

"When we evaluate historical processes, we cannot be satisfied with a specific moment," Herzog said. "We must take into account this week: We are following US President Donald Trump's visit to the region."

"We are witnessing the release of Idan Alexander, and we know that there is an intensive dialogue, and I sincerely hope and pray every moment that it will bear fruit. As I said, this is the key to radical change," Herzog added.

He added, "Nothing would make me happier than shaking hands with Sheikh Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, as a step toward rapprochement between Jews and Muslims in the region."

He continued, "I believe this is the defining historical challenge. Are we heading toward annexing Israel to the region?"

Officially, Saudi Arabia is contingent on the potential normalization of relations with Israel ending its war of extermination in Gaza and engaging in a serious political process leading to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

Riyadh has consistently condemned in the strongest terms Israel's crimes in the Gaza Strip since October 7 and called on the international community to halt ongoing Israeli violations in the Palestinian territories.

Since the start of the Israeli genocide in Gaza, Netanyahu has repeatedly declared his rejection of the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. He has even begun intensive steps to annex the occupied West Bank to Israel, which, if implemented, would render the two-state solution (Palestinian and Israeli) impossible to implement.

With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving more than 172,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 11,000 missing.