Landmark Saudi and Israeli trips as talks progress
A high-level Saudi delegation is in the occupied West Bank for the first time since Israel captured the territory from Jordan in the 1967 war.
Hours after it arrived, Israel’s tourism minister landed in Saudi Arabia for a UN event.
Haim Katz became the first Israeli minister to lead an official delegation to the Gulf country, his office said.
The landmark trips come after Saudi and Israeli leaders commented positively on efforts to establish diplomatic ties.
The US has recently been brokering complex negotiations between its two regional allies.
A deal between the powerful states would mark a dramatic shift in Middle Eastern politics and give a major foreign policy victory to US President, Joe Biden.
On Tuesday morning, Saudi Arabia’s first official envoy to the Palestinians, Nayef al-Sudairi, who is also ambassador to Jordan, drove into the West Bank via the Karama crossing for a two-day visit. Israel controls entry at the border and would have had to have authorised his arrival.
The Palestinian foreign ministry marked what it described as “a historic milestone” in relations with Riyadh.
The Saudi diplomat was met with fanfare in Ramallah, where the Palestinian Authority (PA) has its headquarters.
At the presidential compound, he reviewed the guard of honour that had lined up to greet him, while the Palestinian and Saudi national anthems played out.
He then presented his official credentials to the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, at a ceremony.
—BBC
