Israel continued to defend Saudi Arabia in the case of journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death. An Israeli official called on Trump's administration not to compromise in Riyadh, whatever the circumstances.
The Israeli ambassador to Washington, Ron Dermer, said that when the US administration knew all the facts about Khashoggi's death, it should condemn the incident, but at the same time should not overstate its interests with Riyadh.
This came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked the US administration to maintain strong ties with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
In a television interview, Dermer criticized Turkey and Qatar, which he said were exerting pressure to sabotage the relationship with Saudi Arabia. The Israeli ambassador to Washington also criticized Al-Jazeera for covering Khashoggi's death.
Khashoggi was killed inside his consulate in Istanbul on October 2 and his body has not yet been found.
"Saudi Arabia is a country where the United States does not share values but interests," Darmer said. "With Saudi Arabia there are many interests, but with Iran there are no common interests or values."
Netanyahu said days ago that Khashoggi's death was "horrific," but added: "At the same time, I say that it is very important for the stability of the region and the world that Saudi Arabia remain stable."
Israeli energy minister Yuval Steinitz stressed that "the danger emanating from the existence of a nuclear-armed Iran is more important than Khashoggi's death." He pointed out that Arab countries - including Saudi Arabia - are "our ally in recent years in the face of Iranian expansion and the Iranian nuclear threat."