The crown prince of Saudi Arabia on Monday said Israelis have the right to their own land like Palestinians, indicating thawing relations between Riyadh and Tel Aviv.

“I believe Palestinians and Israelis have the right to have their own land,” Mohammed bin Salman said in an interview to The Atlantic. “I believe people anywhere have the right to live in their peaceful nation. But we have to have a peace agreement to assure stability for everyone and to have normal relations.”

Saudi Arabia does not recognise the state of Israel. For decades, it has maintained that for normalcy to return to the region, Israel would have to withdraw from the land it captured in West Asia during the 1967 war, including the territory Palestinians are fighting for for a future state.

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“We have religious concerns about the fate of the holy mosque in Jerusalem and about the rights of the Palestinian people,” Crown Prince Mohammed said. “This is what we have. We don’t have any objection against any other people.”

Also, given the rising tensions with Iran, Saudi Arabia may be pushed to work with Israel against a common threat. “Israel is a big economy compared to its size, and it’s a growing economy,” the crown prince said. “Of course there are a lot of interests we share with Israel, and if there is peace, there would be a lot of interest between Israel and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and countries like Egypt and Jordan.”

In another sign of improving relations, Saudi Arabia opened its airspace to India’s national airline for a direct flight from New Delhi to Tel Aviv. The first Air India flight on the route took off on March 22.

The Saudi Arabian crown prince’s remarks come even as Palestinians are protesting along the Gaza border. With their March of Return demonstration, they are demanding that refugees be allowed to return to their homes that are now in Israel. At least 17 people have been killed and nearly 1,500 have been injured so far in firing by Israeli Defense Forces.