{"id":8207,"date":"2023-09-27T00:29:12","date_gmt":"2023-09-27T00:29:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/israeli-minister-makes-first-public-visit-to-saudi-arabia-the-express-tribune\/"},"modified":"2023-09-27T00:29:12","modified_gmt":"2023-09-27T00:29:12","slug":"israeli-minister-makes-first-public-visit-to-saudi-arabia-the-express-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/israeli-minister-makes-first-public-visit-to-saudi-arabia-the-express-tribune\/","title":{"rendered":"Israeli minister makes first public visit to Saudi Arabia | The Express Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Israel\u2019s Tourism Minister Haim Katz arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for the first such high-level public visit to the kingdom amid talks to secure bilateral ties.<\/p>\n

\u201cKatz is the first Israeli minister to head an official delegation in Saudi Arabia,\u201d his ministry said in a statement, adding he would attend a United Nations World Tourism Organisation event in Riyadh.<\/p>\n

During the two-day visit he is due to hold meetings \u201cwith his counterparts\u201d, Katz\u2019s office said without specifying which countries will be represented in such talks.<\/p>\n

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The landmark visit comes as Riyadh sent its first delegation to the occupied West Bank in three decades.<\/p>\n

Nayef al-Sudairi, who was appointed non-resident ambassador to the Palestinian territories last month, held talks Tuesday with senior Palestinian officials including president Mahmud Abbas.<\/p>\n

The diplomatic travels come as the United States presses its allies Israel and Saudi Arabia to normalise ties.<\/p>\n

Israel has moved closer to the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco following a US-driven diplomatic initiative in 2020 which pushed for normalisation of relations.<\/p>\n

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Establishing ties with Saudi Arabia \u2014 home to some of Islam\u2019s holiest sites \u2014 would be the grand prize for Israel and change the geopolitics of the Middle East.<\/p>\n

Last week, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said \u201csix or seven\u201d Muslim countries could \u201cmake peace\u201d with Israel if it signed a peace agreement with Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n

He also stated that \u201cpeace with Saudi Arabia means peace with the greater Muslim world\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are at least another six or seven countries that I have met with \u2014significant Muslim countries with which we do not have relations \u2014 that are interested [in peace],\u201d the minister added.<\/p>\n

Normalisation with Israel, however, would break Riyadh\u2019s decades-long stance against recognising Israel before it resolves the conflict with the Palestinians.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n