According to Middle East Eye, Sudais delivered a Friday sermon in which he preached dialogue and kindness to non-Muslims, making specific reference to Jews.
The imam urged worshippers to avoid 'any misconceptions about correct beliefs in the heart coexisting with having healthy dealings in interpersonal exchanges and international relations'.
He went on to mention several stories from the Prophet Muhammad's life in which he maintained good relations with non-Muslims, reported the newspaper.
These included the prophet performing wudhu (ablution) from the bottle of a non-Muslim woman, forging a peace agreement with the Jewish inhabitants of the Khaybar region and dealing so well with a Jewish neighbour that he eventually converted to Islam.
"When the course of healthy human dialogue is neglected, parts of people's civilisations will collide, and the language that will become prevalent is one of violence, exclusion and hatred," Sudais said.
The remarks met with criticism on social media, with many users accusing Sudais of misusing the platform of Islam's holiest mosque.
UAE-Israel deal:
In Aug, Israel and the United Arab Emirates established full diplomatic relations in a US-brokered deal that required Israel to halt its contentious plan to annex occupied West Bank land sought by the Palestinians.
The historic deal delivered a key foreign policy victory to President Donald Trump as he seeks re-election and reflected a changing Middle East in which shared concerns about archenemy Iran have largely overtaken traditional Arab support for the Palestinians.
The agreement made the UAE the third Arab country, after Egypt and Jordan, to have full diplomatic ties with Israel. They announced it in a joint statement, saying deals between Israel and the UAE were expected in the coming weeks in such areas as tourism, direct flights and embassies.
Trump called the deal “a truly historic moment.”
“Now that the ice has been broken I expect more Arab and Muslim countries will follow the United Arab Emirates,” he told reporters in the Oval Office.
In a nationally televised news conference, Netanyahu echoed Trump’s remarks.
“Today we usher in a new era of peace between Israel and the Arab world,” he said. “There is a good chance we will soon see more Arab countries joining this expanding circle of peace.”
But Netanyahu said the annexation plan was on “temporary hold,” appearing to contradict statements from Emirati officials who said it was off the table. Emirati officials described the deal in pragmatic terms. Anwar Gargash, a top Emirati official, said they had dealt a “death blow” to an aggressive Israeli move and hoped to help reshape the region.
Pakistan refuses to accept Israel:
Reacting to the deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel, Pakistan's Foreign Office had termed the historic deal development with ‘far-reaching implications’.
In a statement, the FO had said: “We have noted the joint statement announcing agreement of UAE and Israel to have full normalisation of relations. This is a development with far-reaching implications.”
“Pakistan has an abiding commitment to the full realisation of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including the right to self-determination. Peace and stability in the Middle East region is also Pakistan’s key priority,” the statement had read.