Delegates attend the UNESCO Extended 45th session of the World Heritage Committee at the al-Murabba Palace in Riyadh on Sept. 11, 2023. (Credit: Fayez Nureldine/AFP)
An 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 normalization of ties between the two countries in the 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 traveled 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 organization, 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 recognize Israel and did not join the 2020 US-brokered Abraham Accords that saw Israel establish ties with two of the kingdom's neighbors, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
The visit, for UNESCO's World Heritage Committee session, coincides with speculation about a potential normalization of ties between the two countries in the future.
...