‘Small steps’ toward peace with Saudis
Israel and Saudi Arabia are edging closer to an agreement to normalise relations in a US-brokered deal that, if finalised, would mark a historic breakthrough for Israel's standing in the Middle East.
(Times of Israel) – Israel’s Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi participated in a morning prayer service in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday morning, complete with a Torah scroll dedicated to the ruler of the kingdom as it strides toward normalisation with the Jewish State.
The service, which included a minyan, of at least 10 men, took place in Karhi’s hotel, and included three Jews who were in Riyadh but are not part of Karhi’s delegation. Pictures released by Karhi’s office showed participants wearing traditional prayer shawls and holding an etrog alongside palm, myrtle and willow branches, part of a special rite for the Succot holiday.
They also read from a small Torah scroll, provided by a “local Jew”, according to Karhi’s spokesman.
The scroll featured stitching in English, Hebrew and Arabic reading “The Jewish Congregation, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”.
It also included a dedication in Hebrew to “King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman and all their ministers and advisers”.
Karhi, an Orthodox Jew, landed in the kingdom on Monday evening, leading an Israeli delegation to the Universal Postal Union’s 2023 Extraordinary Congress.
The minister, who was accompanied by Knesset Economy Committee chairman David Bitan, made the trip less than a week after his Likud colleague Haim Katz became the first Israeli minister to visit.
The visits come as Israel and Saudi Arabia edge closer to an agreement to normalise relations in a US-brokered deal that, if finalised, would mark a historic breakthrough for Israel’s standing in the Middle East.
“Just as the windows in the house of Daniel were opened facing Jerusalem, so too in Riyadh we were able to pray with windows open facing Jerusalem,” said Karhi in a statement, referring to the biblical character exiled to Babylon.
Karhi will deliver a speech at the conference that will focus on “progress and a bridge to peace”, his spokesman told The Times of Israel. Karhi also received an invitation to visit the succah of Mohammed Saud, a prominent Israel supporter in Riyadh, Karhi’s office said.
Saudi Arabia has no official local Jewish community, though the kingdom is thought to host a number of Jewish businesspeople.
“We’re here during the Succot holiday, at an international conference. We’ll meet with representatives from around the world, and will bring the peace between the State of Israel and Saudi Arabia closer,” Karhi said in a video statement after landing in Riyadh.
“Everything starts with small steps, so this is the beginning, and we’ll see in the future how things develop for the benefit of the State of Israel and peace in the Middle East,” Bitan said.
Meanwhile, the Israel Defence Forces have reportedly begun studying the range of ramifications for Israel on a military level should a normalisation deal with Saudi Arabia be achieved.
The study will look at the possible consequences of the deal, including the options for partnerships and cooperation, along with risks involved for Israel’s security, the Walla news site reported on Sunday.
The preparations come as US President Joe Biden’s administration is actively engaging Riyadh and Jerusalem to try to broker a normalisation deal between the two countries. As part of the framework, Saudi Arabia is also asking the US for a major mutual defence pact and significant arms deals, as well as Israeli concessions to the Palestinians.
It comes as Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said that Muslim countries that are normalising with Israel are “betting on a losing horse”, state-run media reported on Tuesday. Khamenei also predicted Israel would soon be eradicated, in an address to government officials and ambassadors from Muslim countries on Tuesday.
“The definitive stance of the Islamic Republic is that the governments which prioritise the gamble of normalisation with the Zionist regime will incur losses,” he said in remarks carried by Iran’s state-run and semi-official media.
Responding to Khamenei, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Iran would not derail Israeli efforts to normalise relations with additional Arab and Muslim nations, amid US efforts to broker a peace agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
“While the terror regime of Khamenei sows destruction and carnage, Israel is advancing progress and peace,” Netanyahu said.
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