Min Speaks In Saudi For 1st Time, Continues Path Towards Normalisation

A sitting Israeli Cabinet minister has delivered public comments in Saudi Arabia for the first time, continuing along the path towards normalisation. The comments, made by Minister of Communications Shlomo Karhi at a UN conference on the global postal sector in Riyadh, come weeks after Tourism Minister Haim Katz became the first sitting Cabinet member to visit Saudi Arabia in late September.

• Karhi, from PM Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party, said during the course of his speech delivered in English and Arabic that “We greatly appreciate the tireless efforts of the leaders of Saudi Arabia and our Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for nurturing the blossoming ties,” Any normalisation agreement would transform the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East, enabling significant investment and trade between Israel and Saudi (and likely many other MENA and other Muslim majority nations that could follow Saudi's lead).
• On 4 October, Axios reported that senior White House officials had visited Saudi Arabiain late September to further talks on a 'megadeal' that would, among other areas, normalise relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.