In under a week: 2nd Israeli minister in Riyadh amid warming relations

Posted on October 2, 2023 by uprootedpalestinians

Oct 01, 2023

Seats reserved for the Israeli delegation attending the UNESCO Extended 45th session of the World Heritage Committee at the al-Murabba Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, September 11, 2023 (AFP)

The Israeli occupation minister will head a senior delegation to take part in the Universal Postal Union conference.

Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi landed in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh on Sunday to take part in the fourth extraordinary congress of the Universal Postal Union UPU amid a busy week for Saud-Israeli relations.

According to Israeli i24News, Karhi headed a delegation of senior Israeli officials, including the ministry’s director of the International Relations Department, its deputy, and assistant, the Chair of the Economic Affairs Committee David Bitan, along with other officials from the communications ministry.

Representatives from the Israeli Postal Company will also participate in some of the sessions through video calls.

UPU is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates postal policies among member nations, which includes the Israeli occupation entity, in addition to the worldwide postal system.

The congress meets every four years and sees participation from representatives of members’ postal companies, as well as communications and foreign ministries.

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Recently, there has been a series of official visits by Israeli ministers and officials to Saudi Arabia.

Last week, Israeli Tourism Minister Haim Katz made a trip to Riyadh accompanied by a large delegation to participate in the United Nations’ tourism organization conference held in the Saudi capital.

Katz commented on his visit, noting that the Israeli officials “were received very beautifully” by the Saudi authorities.

Meanwhile, earlier this week, Saudi officials led by Nayef bin Bandar al-Sudairi, the newly appointed non-resident ambassador to the Palestinian Authority and the and consul general in Al-Quds, made a trip to Ramallah in the occupied West Bank and met with President Mahmoud Abbas.

According to Israeli media, al-Sudairi and Abbas discussed the topic of normalization between Riyadh and “Tel Aviv” while the Saudi foreign ministry official presented his credentials to the Palestinian president.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman admitted last week that Saudi Arabia was getting closer to normalizing ties with the entity. “Every day we get closer,” he told Fox News in an interview.

Furthermore, US President Joe Biden is pushing to make a breakthrough on the matter as the 2024 presidential campaign draws closer.

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