The Israeli telecoms minister has visited Saudi Arabia in a second such visit by a senior Israeli official to the kingdom in a week and amid efforts by the United States to persuade Riyadh to normalize relations with the Tel Aviv regime.
Shlomo Karhi led a delegation of Israeli officials arriving in Riyadh on October 1, according to reports published on Monday which showed that the delegation was to attend a conference of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), a UN postal union, an event that will last until October 5.
Karhi’s visit to Saudi Arabia came just days after Israeli regime’s tourism minister Haim Katz traveled to Saudi Arabia to attend a conference of the World Tourism Organization.
It also came some three weeks after an official Israeli delegation arrived in Saudi Arabia to participate as an observer in the 45th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.
The three visits are the first of their kind after years that Israeli political figures and security officials made undeclared trips to Saudi Arabia.
They come amid a renewed push by the United States to work out a normalization deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
Arab and Muslim countries have criticized Riyadh for keeping the door open to such a normalization deal, saying it would a betrayal of the Palestinian cause and would encourage the Israeli regime to intensify its aggression.
Resistance movements in Palestine believe Israel has already been emboldened by the potential success of efforts to normalize ties with Saudi Arabia, saying attempts in recent weeks by extremist settlers to make regular presence in al-Aqsa Mosque, a holy place in the occupied al-Quds, shows the regime wants to pile up pressure on Palestinians.
Reports have suggested that Washington will reward Saudi Arabia for engaging in normal ties with the Israelis with a major security pact as well as with support for the kingdom’s plans to develop a peaceful nuclear program.
