Iran Press/ Middle East: On Sunday, Israel’s interior ministry announced that Arye Dery has signed a directive according to which Israelis are permitted to visit the Arab kingdom for the first time in the occupying regime’s history.
It, however, added that the ministry’s decision, which was made in coordination with the Israeli military, only allows two groups of Israelis to go to Saudi Arabia, PRESS TV reported.
The first group includes Arab Muslims who want to perform the annual pilgrimages known as the Hajj and the Umrah in the holy city of Mecca. Israeli pilgrims have so far visited Saudi Arabia for performing such Islamic rituals on temporary Jordanian papers.
The second group consists of those Israelis who want to go to the Arab kingdom and stay there for business reasons, such as investment or meetings, and whose permission is limited for up to 90 days.
These travelers need an invitation from Saudi authorities and are required to go through the necessary paperwork to enter Saudi Arabia.
Until now, Israeli law banned residents from visiting many Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, without express permission from the interior minister and visits by Israeli businessmen were generally done in secret.
Israel has full diplomatic relations with only two Arab states, Egypt and Jordan, but the latest reports suggest the regime is working behind the scenes to establish formal contacts with Persian Gulf Arab states such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
Saudi Arabia has expanded secret ties with Israel under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the son of King Salman, who is viewed by many as the Kingdom’s de facto ruler. The young prince has made it clear that he and the Israelis stand on the same front to counter Iran and its growing influence in the Middle East.
Back in 2018, Saudi Arabia opened its airspace for a commercial flight to Israel with the start of a new Air India route between India and Israel, although El Al Israel Airlines might not use Saudi airspace for eastward flights.
104/205
Read More:
UK arms sales to Saudi-led coalition up by almost 50 percent in five years
