JOHN YANG: The other big story we're following tonight is in the Middle East, where Israel is blocking humanitarian aid from reaching Gaza until Hamas agrees to temporarily extend phase one of the ceasefire, which expired yesterday.

Israel has embraced a U.S. plan to pause fighting through Ramadan and Passover, which ends April 20th.

Hamas would have to release half of the remaining hostages being held in Gaza on the first day of the extension.

Hamas immediately rejected the proposal.

Earlier, I spoke about all of this with Prince Turki Al-Faisal, a former Saudi ambassador to the United States and the United Kingdom.

TURKI AL-FAISAL, Former Saudi Ambassador to U.S. and U.K.: We all thought that the two stages of the ceasefire would lead to a permanent ceasefire and that those issues were fully and thoroughly discussed when the previous administration was in power in America.

So all these new additions seem to be on the side of Mr. Netanyahu to get away from the commitments that he made in the previous agreement.

JOHN YANG: Talking about that, how would you rate President Trump's involvement in Gaza so far?

TURKI AL-FAISAL: Well, it's been very helpful from one aspect is that it has implemented the ceasefire, but on other things, like the promotion of the Riviera on the Mediterranean and driving out the Palestinians and actually pushing for ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians, that is wrong.

That is unacceptable, not just by us, but by the whole world.

And then for him to put up that silly, I would say, obscene concoction of him and Mr. Netanyahu drinking sodas in front of the beachfront in Gaza, it's just awful.

JOHN YANG: I believe you're referring to a social media post that he didn't create, but he reposted, showing his vision of the Riviera.

TURKI AL-FAISAL: But he reposted it.

And by that, I think he was just being offensive to all of us and the rest of the world.

You know, that land is shed with blood, innocent children and women and so on.

And though to desecrate it in such a manner I think was inexcusable.

JOHN YANG: I know that there's a meeting of the Arab League coming up later this week.

Egyptian officials have told my colleague Nick Shifrin that they intend to propose replacing the government in Gaza with a body that's affiliated with neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.

What do you think of that idea?

TURKI AL-FAISAL: Well, I am not in government to know what the details are, but that might be the way to reach reasonable compromise on that issue on the part of the Arab countries.

JOHN YANG: As you say, you're no longer in government, but you were a Saudi ambassador to the United States.

You know the U.S. well, you went to college here.

What do you make of President Trump's America first approach to foreign policy?

How do you think that's going to affect things in the Middle East in general and in the Israeli Palestinian conflict?

TURKI AL-FAISAL: In particular, from my long time in America, all American presidents come with some form of America first attitude.

So from that aspect, Mr. Trump is not different from the predecessors, but the magnitude of what he's doing and the public display, it's a different style.

But, you know, he is the President of the United States.

He was given a mandate by the American people.

So the rest of us in the rest of the world, we have to deal with him.

JOHN YANG: You say you have to deal with it, but how do you deal with it?

He seems to want things in return if helps a foreign country.

TURKI AL-FAISAL: Well, you know, the kingdom has been very helpful to America, you know, not just during his first administration, when we purchased a lot of weapons systems.

Even before that, our relationship with America has been mutual benefit.

Over the last 30 years or so, we must have sent over half a million Saudi students to study in the United States.

So, yes, we can accept that.

It has to be mutually beneficial.

JOHN YANG: Another thing that Mr. Trump talks a lot about and the Israelis talk a lot about is normalizing relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Under what conditions do you see that happening and how likely do you see normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel?

TURKI AL-FAISAL: There is no mystery about where the Saudi position is.

From the very beginning, it was that there should be a Palestinian state, a viable Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem.

I don't see any other way that normalization with Israel can come about other than to have that condition put in place concretely.

JOHN YANG: But with Mr. Trump running things now, do you see him committed as well to the idea of a Palestinian state with a capital in East Jerusalem?

TURKI AL-FAISAL: Well, I live in wishful thinking, I hope.

And he is surrounded by people that he has appointed who don't even believe that there is such a thing as a Palestinian people.

So that is a big hurdle to overcome to convince him that there must be a Palestinian state.

JOHN YANG: Your Royal Highness, Prince Turki Al-Faisal, thank you very much for your time.

TURKI AL-FAISAL: Thank you.