Direct Flights for Israeli Muslim Pilgrims to Saudi Arabia; Perhaps Another Time

The Israeli government announced on Monday, June 19, that direct flights from Israel to Saudi Arabia for this year's Muslim pilgrimage (Hajj) 'will not take place' and downplayed any prospects for imminent normalization of relations with Riyadh mediated by the United States. According to Reuters, Saudi Arabia quietly agreed three years ago (in 2020) to begin the process of establishing relations with Israel, following the actions of its neighbors, including the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. However, the country refrained from continuing this process and stated earlier this year that it would not normalize relations with Israel until a two-state solution is realized. Nevertheless, Israeli and American officials have predicted that this kingdom, which houses two holy sites for Muslims, might allow the 'eighteen percent' Muslim minority in Israel to fly directly from the country to Saudi Arabia for this year's Hajj as a gesture of goodwill, although Riyadh has never officially proposed such an offer. With the Hajj season approaching and the Israeli Ministry of Transportation announcing that no airline has requested special flights to Saudi destinations, a senior aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also acknowledged that this will not happen. Tzachi Hanegbi, Israel's National Security Advisor, told Israel's Kan Radio, 'Perhaps for the next Hajj we will be in a position to assist in this matter and direct flights will take place from here.' The Biden administration has described the normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia as a U.S. national security interest. This issue is also one of the main goals of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's foreign policy.