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Israeli delegation makes first open visit to Saudi Arabia
The visit, for UNESCO's World Heritage Committee session, coincides with speculation about a potential normalisation of ties between the two countries in future.
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A picture taken on April 1, 2018 shows a view of the Qasr al-Farid tomb (The Lonely Castle) carved into rose-coloured sandstone in Madain Saleh, a UNESCO World Heritage site, near Saudi Arabia's northwestern town of al-Ula. Al-Ula, an area rich in archaeological remnants, is seen as a jewel in the crown of future Saudi attractions as the austere kingdom prepares to issue tourist visas for the first time -- opening up one of the last frontiers of global tourism. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is set to sign a landmark agreement with Paris on April 10, 2018 for the touristic and cultural development of the northwestern site, once a crossroads of ancient civilisations. (AFP/Fayez Nureldine)
A
n Israeli delegation is in Riyadh for a UNESCO meeting, an Israeli official told AFP on Monday, marking the country's first publicly announced visit to Saudi Arabia.
The visit, for UNESCO's World Heritage Committee session, coincides with speculation about a potential normalisation of ties between the two countries in future.
"We are happy to be here -- it's a good first step," an Israeli official who did not want to be named, given the sensitivities of the visit, told AFP during the meeting.
"We thank UNESCO and the Saudi authorities."
The five-member delegation travelled through Dubai, the official said, as there are no direct flights between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
They received their visas via UNESCO, the United Nations' educational, scientific and cultural organisation, and arrived on Sunday.
The delegation, including a security official, joined the UNESCO meeting on Monday, sitting behind a sign that said "Israel" on the front of their desk.
The visit has been "very good -- they treat us very well", the official said.
Saudi Arabia does not recognise Israel and did not join the 2020 US-brokered Abraham Accords that saw Israel establish ties with two of the kingdom's neighbours, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
