Israel-Saudi Ministers Shake Hands at International Conference... "Let's Make History Together"

Establishment of Diplomatic Relations Between the Two Countries Suspended Due to Gaza War

Israeli and Saudi Arabian ministerial officials shook hands and created a warm atmosphere at an international conference, local media including the Times of Israel reported on the 26th (local time).

Nir Barkat, Israel's Minister of Economy and Industry, met with Majid bin Abdullah Al Qasabi, Saudi Minister of Commerce, at the 13th World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference (MC13) held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the same day.

The two ministers shook hands, exchanged greetings, had a brief conversation, and exchanged business cards, the Times of Israel reported.

At the event, Minister Barkat expressed Israel's interest in improving relations with countries pursuing peace and proposed, "Let's make history together," according to Israel's Ministry of Economy and Industry.

The public meeting between Israeli and Saudi ministers, who have not established diplomatic relations, is extremely rare.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Israel normalized relations with Arab countries such as the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco through the so-called 'Abraham Accords' mediated by the United States in 2020, and has since shown great interest in improving relations with Saudi Arabia.

This is because improving relations with Saudi Arabia, the leading Sunni Islamic country, is believed to be a catalyst for expanding the Abraham Accords.

The U.S. Biden administration, which needs diplomatic achievements ahead of the presidential election, also pushed for a peace agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel, bringing the historic establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries close; however, discussions were suspended for a while after Hamas's preemptive attack in October last year triggered the Gaza Strip war.

Subsequently, the U.S. proposed a post-conflict peace plan that excludes Hamas, involving the establishment of a Palestinian state and normalization of relations between Israel and Arab countries in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, as a solution to the Gaza Strip war.

Saudi Arabia officially stated that it could recognize Israel as a state if the Palestinian issue, including the Gaza Strip war, is resolved.

However, Israel's ultra-hardline right-wing government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hopes to improve relations with Saudi Arabia but maintains the position that it cannot allow the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.