{"id":3029,"date":"2023-09-11T16:47:16","date_gmt":"2023-09-11T16:47:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/israeli-delegation-makes-first-open-visit-to-saudi-arabia\/"},"modified":"2023-09-11T16:47:16","modified_gmt":"2023-09-11T16:47:16","slug":"israeli-delegation-makes-first-open-visit-to-saudi-arabia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/israeli-delegation-makes-first-open-visit-to-saudi-arabia\/","title":{"rendered":"Israeli delegation makes first open visit to Saudi Arabia"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

An Israeli delegation attended a Unesco meeting in Riyadh on Monday, marking the country\u2019s first publicly announced visit to Saudi Arabia as speculation grows about a potential normalisation of ties<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The five-member delegation arrived on Sunday, an Israeli official told AFP<\/em>, for the meeting to update Unesco\u2019s world heritage list of cultural and historic sites.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are happy to be here \u2014 it\u2019s a good first step,\u201d said the official, who did not want to be named given the sensitivities of the visit, during the meeting.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe thank Unesco and the Saudi authorities.\u201d<\/p>\n

The team travelled through Dubai, the official said, as there are no direct flights between Israel and Saudi Arabia, and arrived on Sunday.<\/p>\n

They received their visas via Unesco, the United Nations\u2019 educational, scientific and cultural organisation.<\/p>\n

The delegation, including a security official, joined the Unesco meeting on Monday, sitting behind a sign that said \u201cIsrael\u201d on the front of their desk.<\/p>\n

The visit has been \u201cvery good \u2014 they treat us very well\u201d, the official said.<\/p>\n

The \u201cIsrael\u201d sign drew stares from Saudis working at the meeting, where more than 50 sites are contenders to join the coveted world heritage list.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is God\u2019s command. The issue is bigger than us and we can\u2019t object to it,\u201d said a young Saudi man working among the support services, when asked about the Israeli delegation.<\/p>\n

\u2018Obstacles\u2019 remain<\/h2>\n

A Unesco diplomat said the agency\u2019s director-general Audrey Azoulay had been instrumental in securing Israel\u2019s participation in Riyadh.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the result of several years of work by Audrey Azoulay to create, in the heart of Unesco, the conditions for a dialogue between all the states of the region,\u201d said the diplomat, who did not want to be named.<\/p>\n

While the visit does not have any overt political significance, it comes at a time of growing rumours of moves to bring the two countries closer.<\/p>\n

According to reports, a Palestinian delegation visited Riyadh last week to discuss the way forward if Saudi Arabia and Israel were to formalise relations.<\/p>\n

Saudi Arabia, which contains two of Islam\u2019s holiest sites, does not recognise Israel and did not join the 2020 US-brokered Abraham Accords<\/a> where Israel established ties with Gulf countries the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.<\/p>\n

Saudi Arabia, which is trying to reshape and revitalise its oil-reliant economy, has made a number of landmark diplomatic moves in recent months including a surprise rapprochement with Iran<\/a>, years after the two heavyweights severed ties.<\/p>\n

The fact that the visit was coordinated by Unesco suggests \u201cobstacles\u201d remain to Saudi-Israeli normalisation, said Aziz Alghashian, a Saudi analyst and expert on the bilateral relationship.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is most likely a result of Saudi Arabia being more open to the world, which will include Israelis, not a result of bilateral relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel,\u201d Alghashian said.<\/p>\n

Saudi officials have realised they cannot ban anyone if they want to transform the kingdom into a global business and tourism hub under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman\u2019s Vision 2030 reform agenda, Alghashian said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Israelis will definitely milk this as the first step, when actually it was facilitated by Unesco. It\u2019s not really because of their diplomatic skill or diplomatic victories.\u201d<\/p>\n

He compared the Israeli delegation\u2019s visit to a visit<\/a> this summer by Israeli eSports players for the Gamers8 festival, which also required \u201cthird-party coordination\u201d by global tournament organisers.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An Israeli delegation attended a Unesco meeting in Riyadh on Monday, marking the country\u2019s first publicly announced visit to Saudi Arabia as speculation grows about a potential normalisation of ties. The five-member delegation arrived on Sunday, an Israeli official told AFP, for the meeting to update Unesco\u2019s world heritage list of cultural and historic sites. 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