LAHORE MIRROR (AFP) — An Israeli delegation attended a Unesco meeting in Riyadh on Monday, marking the country’s first publicly announced visit to Saudi Arabia as speculation grows about a potential normalisation of ties.
The five-member delegation arrived on Sunday, an Israeli official told AFP, for the meeting to update Unesco’s world heritage list of cultural and historic sites.
“We are happy to be here — it’s a good first step,” said the official, who did not want to be named given the sensitivities of the visit, during the meeting.
“We thank Unesco and the Saudi authorities.”
The team travelled through Dubai, the official said, as there are no direct flights between Israel and Saudi Arabia, and arrived on Sunday.
They received their visas via Unesco, the United Nations’ educational, scientific and cultural organisation.
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.
The “Israel” sign drew stares from Saudis working at the meeting, where more than 50 sites are contenders to join the coveted world heritage list.
“That is God’s command. The issue is bigger than us and we can’t object to it,” said a young Saudi man working among the support services, when asked about the Israeli delegation.
