Status: 11/23/2020 3:41 pm

First a private jet was seen, then information was leaked: Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu is said to have secretly traveled to the Saudi crown prince. A Riyadh meeting is denied.

By Benjamin Hammer, ARD-Studio Tel Aviv

In the morning, an Israeli journalist noticed a special plane. A brief investigation on a corresponding website revealed that it had to be a private jet flying from Tel Aviv airport to the planned Saudi city of Neom on the Red Sea. The plane had been used more frequently in the past by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Officially, Netanyahu’s office says: No comment. But government officials confirmed the trip to the Israeli media. A Netanyahu employee wrote on Twitter that the prime minister was concerned about “peace,” which could be taken as one more clue. It would be the first documented trip of an Israeli prime minister to Saudi Arabia.

Riyadh denials

Saudi Arabia has denied that there was a meeting with Netanyahu. Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, tweeted in view of media reports: “There was no such meeting. The only government representatives present were Americans and Saudis.”

Until now, the royal family in Riyadh has refused to normalize relations with Israel. First, the conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis must be resolved. A Saudi Arabian peace initiative provides for the normalization of relations between the Arab states and Israel if the Jewish state withdraws from all territories occupied in 1967.

The Secretary of State of the United States, Pompeo, also present

Netanyahu is reported to have met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia. Also present was the US Secretary of State, Pompeo. Israel and Saudi Arabia do not officially have any relationship, but there are close contacts in the background, for example with the secret services. The Israeli Mossad chief is said to have accompanied Netanyahu on the trip.

Israel has recently signed agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain for the establishment of full diplomatic relations. Saudi Arabia is considered the most important additional candidate to normalize relations with Israel. However, Saudi Arabian representatives have repeatedly emphasized that an agreement must first be reached between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

Deutschlandfunk reported on this issue on November 23, 2020 at 1 pm


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