Middle East
In 2022, bilateral trade surpassed $2.5 billion (not including software and services).
The unspoken question in the air at the Connect2Innovate conference was whether Saudi Arabia will be the next Arab state to normalize relations with Israel.
The Israeli government will consolidate efforts to regulate Bedouin settlement in southern Israel, which includes tens of thousands of illegal structures.
“Arabs also need to fight anti-Jewish propaganda that still exists in their societies,” said participant Amir Al Sheikh, an Israeli Arab Muslim.
The phone conversation followed Muscat’s announcement last month that it would open its airspace to Israeli commercial flights, according to the report.
Both Sunni states severed diplomatic relations with Tehran in 2016.
“The kingdom’s relations cannot be the subject of blackmail by anyone,” the royal court said.
Riyadh’s distrust of Washington was a key calculation in the maneuver, according to Tel Aviv University professor Eyal Zisser.
Hours before Riyadh and Tehran renew relations, a congressional subcommittee strategized on advancing the Abraham Accords.
“A Wall Street Journal” report also notes Riyadh wants Washington to help build out its civilian nuclear program; both demands are viewed as “daunting obstacles” in political circles.
It will be the first Israeli legislative deputation to the Gulf state since the signing of the Abraham Accords.
Doves—Women Making Peace plans to hold a Mideast peace conference in Tel Aviv.
