2023-09-26 15:17:27
AA/Jerusalem/Zein Khalil
Israeli Tourism Minister Haim Katz landed in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to attend a UN tourism event, marking the first-ever public visit by a senior Israeli official to the kingdom.
“Tourism is a bridge between nations. Partnership on tourism issues has the potential to bring hearts together and foster economic prosperity,” Katz said in a statement, reported by the Times of Israel news site.
“I will work to advance Israel’s cooperation, tourism and foreign relations,” he added.
During his two-day visit, the Israeli minister will attend an event organized by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported.
Saudi authorities have not made any comments on the Israeli minister’s visit.
In recent months, the United States has made great efforts to reach an agreement to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia and Israel do not have diplomatic relations and Riyadh insists that any agreement to normalize relations with Tel Aviv must include a component aimed at advancing efforts to establish a Palestinian state, concessions that Israel has so far rejected it categorically.
Six Arab countries maintain diplomatic relations with Israel, starting with Egypt in 1979, Jordan in 1994, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain in September 2020, and Sudan and Morocco later during the same year.
* Translated from English by Mounir Bennour.
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