Israeli Foreign Ministry Confirms Visit of Saudi Delegation to the Country

On Sunday, August 25, the Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed that its Director General met with a delegation from Saudi Arabia that had traveled to Israel in recent days. This meeting marks an unprecedented open contact between two countries that do not have official relations. According to Haaretz, 'there is no doubt that the Saudi delegation's visit to Israel could not have occurred without the approval of the Saudi government.' Emmanuel Nachshon, spokesperson for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, stated that Director General Doron Gold met and discussed with Saudi General Anwar Eshki at a hotel in Jerusalem. The confirmation statement from the Israeli Foreign Ministry was released after the opposition leader and media in the country reported on the presence of the Saudi delegation in Israel. Isaac Herzog, the opposition leader in Israel, said in an interview with the Hebrew section of Israel Radio that this is the first time a Saudi delegation has met with officials in Israel without concern for the public disclosure of their presence. According to reports, most members of the Saudi delegation were 'academic figures' as well as 'Saudi businessmen.' General Anwar Eshki, who has served in both the Saudi military and Foreign Ministry, had previously met with Israeli officials in the United States, but this is the first time his presence and that of a Saudi delegation in Israel has been made public. The Saudi general is currently the head of a think tank in Jeddah. The Israeli opposition leader stated that Anwar Eshki has asked Israeli officials to work towards advancing the peace process with the Palestinians so that Israel can be placed alongside Arab countries. Meanwhile, former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni stated that moderate Arab countries are forming a coalition against Iran and want Israel to join this coalition. Ms. Livni said in a speech in central Israel that the readiness of Arab governments to cooperate with Israel is conditional on the Israeli government breaking the current deadlock in political negotiations with the Palestinians. Haaretz also reported that the purpose of the Saudi delegation's visit to Tel Aviv is to encourage discourse about the 'Arab Peace Initiative.' The Arab Peace Initiative is a plan proposed by the then Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia in 2002 and has been approved twice by the Arab League. The Arab peace plan is based on the return of occupied lands in exchange for full peace between all Arab League member countries and Israel. Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that some provisions, especially the 'right of return' for Palestinian refugees, need to be changed, but the former Secretary-General of the Arab League rejected this demand. According to Israeli media, the Saudi delegation has also engaged in discussions with members of the Knesset opposition. However, Palestinians representing the Arabs of 1948 in the Israeli parliament criticized the Saudi delegation, emphasizing that these exchanges undermine the 'two-state solution' and the independence of a state for Palestinians. On the other hand, Israeli media reported that General Eshki recently met and discussed with Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the Palestinian Authority, in Ramallah in the West Bank. The Israeli Prime Minister has repeatedly stated in recent months that it is time for Arab countries to make their relations with Israel public. The Israeli government confirms that the rapprochement of 'important Arab countries' in the region with Israel is due to a shared concern over Iran. The closeness of Saudi Arabia to Israel comes at a time when relations between the Saudi government and Iran have been severed for seven months and are deteriorating further each day. In this context, Netanyahu announced 'significant developments' in Israel's relations with Arab countries.