Riyadh:Haim Katz, Israel’s Tourism Minister, embarked on a historic visit to Saudi Arabia, marking a significant step toward establishing bilateral ties between the two nations. This visit is the first of its kind, with Katz leading an official delegation to the kingdom. His trip coincides with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation event being held in Riyadh, where he is expected to engage in meetings with counterparts from various countries, although specifics regarding the participating nations were not disclosed.
This groundbreaking development comes as Riyadh sent its inaugural delegation to the occupied West Bank, marking a crucial diplomatic exchange in over three decades. Nayef al-Sudairi, recently appointed as a non-resident ambassador to the Palestinian territories, engaged in discussions with senior Palestinian officials, including President Mahmud Abbas.
The context for these diplomatic travels is the ongoing push by the United States to encourage its allies, Israel and Saudi Arabia, to normalize their relations. Israel has already made strides in this direction by forging closer ties with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco, following a US-driven diplomatic initiative in 2020 that promoted the normalization of relations.
However, establishing diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia, a nation housing some of Islam’s holiest sites, would represent a significant milestone for Israel and bring about substantial changes in the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East.
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, in a recent statement, expressed optimism about the potential for peace agreements with several Muslim countries if Israel were to sign a peace accord with Saudi Arabia. Cohen underscored that achieving peace with Saudi Arabia would equate to peace with a broader segment of the Muslim world.
It is worth noting that normalization with Israel would require Riyadh to deviate from its decades-long stance of not recognizing Israel until a resolution is reached in the Palestinian conflict.
By AFP
