In a sign of warming ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Tourism Minister Haim Katz became the highest-ranking Israeli official to publicly visit Riyadh on Tuesday.
“Good evening from Riyadh, which is now close to us,” Katz said from the Saudi capital, where his visit was so public that he allowed himself to be interviewed on KAN from his hotel.
“Tourism is a bridge to peace,” he added.
Katz arrived to participate in a United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) conference on the same day that Nayef Al-Sudairi, the first-ever Saudi Ambassador to the Palestinian Authority was credentialed in Ramallah.
Both events are seen as the continuation of the growing normalization process between Israel and Saudi Arabia. That kind of deal is part of a larger quadrilateral arrangement in which there would be a security agreement between Washington and Riyadh and a potential interim agreement with the Palestinians.
Sudairi, who will be a non-resident ambassador based in Jordan, told reporters in Ramallah that his visit “reaffirms that the Palestinian cause and Palestine and the people of Palestine are of high and important status and that in the coming days there will be a chance for a bigger cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the state of Palestine.”
The credentials list Sudairi as “non-resident ambassador to the state of Palestine and consul general in the city of Jerusalem.”
In Riyadh, Katz spoke with optimism about his visit, which comes after an intense week in New York, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden spoke about the potential of a Saudi deal.
Katz's visit arrives after fraught process, represents a compromise from original plan
Saudi Arabia has a responsibility in hosting a UN event to admit delegates from all countries, even ones from which it lacks formal diplomatic ties, including Israel.
But in the past, that step has still proven difficult. Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and Education Minister Yoav Kisch had sought visas to travel to Saudi Arabia to participate in the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization’s World Heritage Conference.
Stumbling blocks in the process caused them to rescind their request. In the end, Israel ceded to a partial diplomatic victory, as a lower-level Israeli delegation attended the conference, becoming the first official delegation to do so.
Katz told KAN that initially there had been suggestions that the Israeli Tourism Ministry delegation arrive as “guests.”
“We insisted that either we enter through the main door in representing Israel and in the name of Israel or we won’t enter,” he said.
Katz said he hoped that other Israeli ministers would receive permission to enter Saudi Arabia. This is expected to include Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi and Knesset Economic Affairs Committee chairman MK David Bitan so they can attend the Exceptional Posts Conference.
PA says Sudairi will return to Ramallah soon, strengthen relations between Saudis and Palestinians
Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riad Malki stated on Tuesday that Sudairi will return to Ramallah soon “to begin his work to develop relations between the two countries, as it is a major responsibility, and to work for his major mission, which is to preserve the Palestinian cause as the central issue for all Arabs, and certainly for Saudi Arabia,” according to WAFA.
“This step will contribute to strengthening the strong fraternal relations between the two countries and the two brotherly peoples,” said PA leader Mahmoud Abbas.
Sudairi stated after meeting Abbas that the two “emphasized the close relationship between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the state of Palestine, and God willing, this visit will be the beginning of strengthening more relations in all fields.”
Saudi tourism minister welcomes Israeli delegation
Saudi Tourism Minister Ahmed al-Khateeb was cited by Israeli media as saying, "there are delegations here that came to our country for the first time, I hope they received you well. Welcome."
"Everyone in this room understands that tourism is a bridge between people and between cultures," al-Khateeb added.
Reuters contributed to this report.