Israeli PM flew for meeting with Saudi crown prince – reports
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly flown to Saudi Arabia for a clandestine meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
If confirmed, this would mark the first known encounter between senior Israeli and Saudi officials.
Hebrew-language media cited an unnamed Israeli official as saying that Mr Netanyahu and Yossi Cohen, head of Israel’s Mossad spy agency, flew to the Saudi city of Neom on Sunday, where they met with the crown prince.
The prince was there for talks with visiting US secretary of state Mike Pompeo.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan later denied a meeting between the three took place.
“I have seen press reports about a purported meeting between HRH the Crown Prince and Israeli officials during the recent visit by SecPompeo,” he tweeted.
“No such meeting occurred. The only officials present were American and Saudi.”
The tweet did not elaborate.
I have seen press reports about a purported meeting between HRH the Crown Prince and Israeli officials during the recent visit by @SecPompeo. No such meeting occurred. The only officials present were American and Saudi.
— فيصل بن فرحان (@FaisalbinFarhan) November 23, 2020
US state department deputy spokesman Cale Brown declined to comment when asked about Mr Netanyahu’s participation in the meeting.
A Gulfstream IV private jet took off just after 5.40pm GMT from Ben-Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, according to data from website FlightRadar24.com.
The flight travelled south along the eastern edge of the Sinai Peninsula before turning toward Neom and landing just after 6.30pm GMT, according to the data.
The flight took off from Neom around 9.50pm GMT and followed the same route back to Tel Aviv.
The Israeli prime minister’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
Mr Pompeo travelled with an American press pool on his trip throughout the Middle East, but left them at the Neom airport when he went into his visit with the crown prince.
While Bahrain, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates have reached deals under the Trump administration to normalise ties with Israel, Saudi Arabia so far has remained out of reach.
King Salman long has supported the Palestinians in their effort to secure an independent state.
However, analysts and insiders suggest his 35-year-old son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is likely more open to the idea of normalising relations without major progress in the moribund peace process.
The kingdom approved the use of Saudi airspace for Israeli flights to the UAE, a decision announced the day after Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, met with Prince Mohammed in Riyadh.
Bahrain normalising ties also suggest at least a Saudi acquiescence to the idea, as the island kingdom relies on Riyadh.
Israel has long had clandestine ties to Gulf Arab states that have strengthened in recent years as they have confronted a shared threat in Iran.
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