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IRAN FRONT PAGELatest News and Views From Iran, Middle East and the World

Iran News
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Iran’s FM Meets Nigerian Counterpart, Renews Support for Abuja

IFP Media Wire

July 26, 2016

“We are standing by you in the battle against al-Qaeda and Boko Haram,” Zarif said in a meeting with Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama in Abuja on Monday.

He praised the age-old and deep-rooted relations between Iran and Nigeria, and said the two countries cooperate in international bodies and organizations such as OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries), the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF).

The Iranian foreign minister then expressed satisfaction with the level of cooperation between the two countries in the field of culture and noted that many Nigerian students are studying in Iranian universities.

The Nigerian minister, for his part, said Iran is a very important country in the region and the world and expressed his country’s willingness to improve relations with the Islamic Republic in political, economic, scientific, cultural and international issues.

Onyeama further said that cooperation between Iran and Nigeria would play a leading role in the stability of the international oil market.

He noted that Nigeria does not want to be an oil-dependent state and is ready to exchange experience with Iran in this regard.

Iran Rejects US Claims about Presence of Al-Qaeda Members in Iran

IFP Media Wire

July 26, 2016

Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi made the remarks on Tuesday in reaction to a recent report, saying that the US Treasury has blacklisted three members of al-Qaeda “living” in Iran.

“The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has always underlined its firm determination to fight terrorist groups and has taken all necessary measures in line with relevant international obligations,” he said.

Iran has no information about the presence of al-Qaeda elements on its soil, Qassemi added.

In the meantime, the Iranian spokesman called on the US administration to stop making generalizations about the matter, and instead share detailed information to facilitate concerted global action against terrorism.

On Wednesday, the US Treasury blacklisted three members of al-Qaeda reportedly living in Iran, claiming they “had helped the Islamist militant group on the battlefield, with finance and logistics, and in mediating with Iranian authorities.”

Iran Undecided about Exhibition of Its World-Class Artworks in Europe

IFP Editorial Staff

July 26, 2016

Here is IFP’s translation of excerpts from a report by Mehr:

Plenty of 19th and 20th century’s world-class European, American and Iranian paintings, prints, drawings and sculptures are currently kept in Tehran’s Museum of Contemporary Art.

Iranian visual arts officials plan to display these precious artworks in Italy and Germany; however, the move has its opponents who fear the artworks are not returned to Iran due to the international sanctions against the country.

Based on the nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, whose implementation started back in January, all nuclear-related anti-Iran sanctions are supposed to be removed; however, there are regular reports of countries that still refuse to cooperate with Tehran on the pretext of those sanctions.

Leili Golestan, an Iranian artist and gallery owner, is one of those who believe the temporary export of the artworks is very risky.

What Can Iran Do If Western Countries Seize Its Artworks?

Old Man with his Head in his Hands ("At Eternity's Gate") — At Eternity’s Gate by Vincent van Gogh, lithograph, 1882, Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art

“The exchange of artworks between world museums regularly takes place …; however, we are now in an exceptional situation. What would we do if they use the sanctions as a pretext to seize these 30 artworks that we are sending abroad and are among the best artworks we have?” Golestan said.

“Currently, the risk and danger is very high indeed,” she warned.

“We could avoid sending all 30 artworks together. For example, we can first send 10 Iranian works and 10 foreign ones. […] We can also wait for the restoration of peace to the world, and then send the artworks,” she suggested.

“We should know that our treasury is unique in Asia and there is no time for taking a risk now,” Golestan noted.

World Is Eager to See the Artworks Kept in Iran

On the other hand, Majid Molla-Norouzi, the Director General of Iran’s Visual Arts Office, believes that the exchange is not at all risky.

Still Life with Head-Shaped Vase and Japanese Woodcut by Paul Gauguin

“The exhibition of different countries’ treasuries has always been customary in the world. We have a treasury that the world is willing to see,” Molla-Norouzi said.

Iran preferred to display the exquisite artworks in an American or British museum of contemporary arts; however, the relations between Iran and these two countries soured more than ever and Iranian officials preferred to choose Germany and Italy, with whom Tehran has better diplomatic ties.

“We are lending the artworks that we had already lent to European and Asian museums. It is not actually called lending, because we have started a joint project with the two museums in Berlin and Rome,” he went on to say.

Molla-Norouzi also explained the benefits of exhibiting these artworks in Europe. “We are going to display a number of Iranian artworks beside these Western ones in a bid to provide an opportunity for the exhibition of Iran’s art. Such an opportunity was probably not possible otherwise.”

“Also many think that we have lost or sold the artworks within these years. So this will be a chance to end all these rumours. Even a Western media outlet suggested that the Islamic Republic is going to wage a soft war in the West through these exhibitions.”

“We will try to display those works that have more fans in the West. Works by Picasso, Mark Rothko, or Jackson Pollock are among these artworks,” he added.

All Works Are Covered by Lloyd’s Insurance Company

The Iranian official also responded to the concerns raised by the critics, and stressed that the artworks are insured by such a reputable company as the Lloyd’s, and if anything happens for the artworks, the insurance company will pay for it.

“The insurance expenses are funded by the Western side,” he added.

“It is possible in the US that a local court rules against the Iranian government and confiscates the country’s properties; however, such a law does not apply in Europe. We have consulted with our lawyers, and the German government has also held itself accountable for returning the works. They are covered by insurance, and it is defined as a cultural project.”

€1.5m to Be Paid for Exhibition of Artworks in Europe

The Iranian museum is supposed to receive €1.5m for displaying the artworks in Europe. Iranian Culture Minister Ali Jannati says the money will be returned to the government’s treasury.

However, he added, the Ministry is making efforts to find a legal way to allocate the money to the equipment of the museum itself.

Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, an Untouched Treasury

Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, also known as TMoCA, was inaugurated in 1977, and is among the largest art museums in Iran. The building itself can be regarded as an example of contemporary art, in a style of an underground New York Guggenheim Museum.

Lautrec girl with lovelock by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Most of the museum area is located underground with a circular walkway that spirals downwards with galleries branching outwards. Western sculptures by artists such as Ernst, Giacometti, Magritte and Moore can be found in the museum’s gardens.

It has collections of more than 3,000 items and is considered to have the most valuable collections of modern Western masterpieces outside Europe and North America. TMoCA also has one of the greatest collections of Iranian modern and contemporary art.

It is said that there is approximately £2.5 billion worth of modern art held at the museum.

Among the artists represented in this museum are Paul Gauguin (Still Life with Head-Shaped Vase and Japanese Woodcut), Wassily Kandinsky, Jackson Pollock (Mural on Indian Red Ground), Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Vincent van Gogh (At Eternity’s Gate), Pierre-Auguste Renoir (Gabrielle with Open Blouse), James Ensor, Édouard Vuillard, André Dunoyer de Segonzac, Jules Pascin, André Derain (Golden Age), Louis Valtat, Georges Rouault, Fernand Léger, and Pablo Picasso (Baboon and Young, Painter and Model).

Alberto Giacometti (Standing Woman, Walking Man), Francis Bacon (Two Figures Lying on a Bed With Attendants), Max Ernst (Capricorn), René Magritte (The Therapeutae), George Grosz, John Hoyland, Diego Rivera, Jasper Johns, and Andy Warhol (Suicide or Purple Jumping Man, portraits of Mick Jagger, Marilyn Monroe and Mao Zedong) are also among the artists whose works are kept in the TMoCA.

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Reclining man with sculpture by Francis Bacon

Iran Undecided about Exhibition of Its World-Class Artworks in Europe — Isaku Yanaihara by Alberto Giacometti

The shield of achilles by Douglas J. Johnson

The museum also keeps works from Roy Lichtenstein, Jim Dine, Peter Phillips, James Rosenquist, Fritz Winter, Joan Miró, William Turnbull, Victor Vasarely, Adolph Gottlieb, Richard Hamilton, Georges Braque, Jean-Paul Riopelle, Edvard Munch, Pierre Soulages, Edgar Degas, Mary Cassatt, Maurice Prendergast, František Kupka, Max Beckmann, James Whistler, Edward Hopper, Henry Moore (Two–Pieces Reclining Figure, Three–Pieces Reclining Figure), Giorgio Morandi, Noreen Motamed, Giacomo Balla, Marcel Duchamp, Marino Marini (Horse and Rider), Aydin Aghdashloo (Identity: in praise of Sandro Botticelli and other works), Parviz Tanavoli (Sanctified), Sterling Ruby, Henry Peach Robinson (Landing the Catch), Ansel Easton Adams (Canyon de Chelly), Bahman Mohasses (Tryst), Arnaldo Pomodoro, and Yaacov Agam (more than 10 oil and acrylic works).

Iran Supports Nigeria’s Plan to Restructure Its Economy: Zarif

IFP Editorial Staff

July 26, 2016

“The Iranian government would support the ongoing restructuring of the Nigerian economy,” Zarif said in a Monday meeting with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, which was also attended by Iran’s Ambassador to Nigeria Morteza Rahimi Zarchi.

“We are very keen to see a better and stronger relationship with Nigeria, which is the largest country in Africa and a major global player,” the Iranian FM went on to say, as reported by Nigerian media and covered by IFP.

Zarif said he has come to Nigeria along with a delegation of more than 70 members of the Iranian business community who had already started discussions on making investment in sectors like banking, education, scholarship, agriculture, energy, tourism and technology development.

Iran’s top diplomat also said that Tehran is ready to cooperate with Nigeria in the fight against such terrorist groups as Boko Haram.

“Terrorist groups are the common enemy of all Iranian and Nigerian people,” he said.

Nigeria to Study Iranian Model of Diversification: President Buhari

President Buhari, for his part, said the Federal Government of Nigeria would work to ameliorate the challenges facing the Nigerian economy within a short period of time by under-studying the experiences of countries like Iran which thrived in adversity.

He said the Iranian economy remained an inspiration for Nigeria in the deployment of technology to harness and export gas, grow food for the populace and promote entrepreneurship in education.

“The progress made by Iran within a short period of 30 years is really commendable. Within the period, you have been able to harness gas flaring, and you are now exporting it. You have recorded strides in security, manufacturing, agriculture and technology.”

“You have also achieved a lot in nuclear research. I must also congratulate you for successfully negotiating with America and the European countries on the development of your nuclear energy.”

The president noted that Nigeria had all the potentials for growing into a great economy through more inclusive planning, consistency in government policies and commitment to the realization of development targets.

“In Nigeria, we are learning. We are learning the hard way through hardship, and we are learning very quickly on how to explore other sectors of the economy like gas, solid minerals and agriculture for growth.

“We are grateful for your support and cooperation in opening up the Nigerian economy for diversification,’’ Buhari told the envoy.

Zarif arrived in Nigeria on the first leg of a key four-nation tour of West Africa to improve bilateral diplomatic and trade relations.

Heading a high-profile politico-economic delegation, Zarif left Tehran for the Nigerian capital on Sunday, July 26, and arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport early on Monday.

During his stay in Abuja, the top Iranian diplomat is also scheduled to meet with senior Nigerian officials and exchange views on various issues of mutual interest.

Zarif’s tour will then take him to Ghana, Guinea (Conakry) and Mali.

Shavaz: An Old Village in Central Iran

IFP Editorial Staff

July 25, 2016

Shavaz village is located in southwest of Yazd Province in central Iran. The village is bounded by a mountain in the back and an open plain in the front.

It is one of the oldest villages of Yazd. The old cemeteries in Shavaz or the high stronghold in the village all indicate its old age.

The oldest castle of Yazd Province is located in Shavaz. It dates back to pre-Islamic era, the end of Parthian empire and the beginning of Sassanid era. The inscriptions found in nearby mountains also date back to 12,000 years ago.

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Iran Urges China, Philippines to Show Restraint on Territorial Disputes

IFP Media Wire

July 25, 2016

“The Islamic Republic of Iran backs a policy of friendship and good neighborliness by South China Sea littoral states and calls on the parties to the disputes to exercise restraint,” Qassemi told reporters in Tehran on Monday.

He further expressed the hope that the territorial disputes would be resolved through dialogue and other peaceful means.

Earlier this month, Manila urged Beijing to respect an international tribunal’s ruling that rejected Chinese claims to most of the South China Sea, and said it would raise the issue at a regional summit.

The statement was the strongest response from the Philippines to a verdict by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague on July 12 declaring that China’s claims to the resource-rich and strategically vital South China Sea had no legal basis.

China vowed to ignore the ruling, saying the UN-backed tribunal had no jurisdiction over the case and accused it of bias.

The Philippines filed the legal challenge against China in 2013 under President Rodrigo Duterte’s predecessor, Benigno Aquino.

Relations between China and the Philippines plummeted over the row.

China claims nearly all of the sea, even waters approaching the coasts of the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations.

China justifies its claims by saying it was the first to have discovered, named and exploited the sea, and outlines its claims for most of the waterway using a vague map made up of nine dashes that emerged in the 1940s.

The tribunal ruled China’s claimed historical rights and nine-dash map had no legal basis.

Iran Stresses Cooperation with Pakistan to Stem Terrorism

IFP Media Wire

July 25, 2016

Iran will not allow certain countries to upset its relations with Pakistan by arming and hiring terrorists for creating insecurity along the common border, Ali Shamkhani said in a meeting with Pakistan’s National Security Adviser Nasser Janjua in Tehran on Monday.

The Iranian official also emphasized the necessity for ensuring sustainable border security and joint efforts by the two neighbors in the fight against narcotics smuggling, human and arms trafficking and gangs of outlaws.

Shamkhani underlined that the first priority in the war on terrorism should be countering the ideology that feeds the Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group.

Otherwise, he said, no country will enjoy security and stability, either in the region or in Europe.

For his part, the visiting Pakistani official called for Muslim vigilance in the face of foreign plots that seek to fuel conflicts among Islamic countries.

Janjua said the crises that have plagued Muslim countries are part of a long-term plot hatched by enemies to ruin the infrastructures and resources of Muslim nations with the objective of sapping the Muslim world vis-à-vis the West.

He further underscored that Islamabad intends to promote security and economic cooperation with Iran.

The top Pakistani adviser is in Iran for talks on a range of issues, including the ways to boost bilateral relations between the two neighboring countries.

A Look at Iranian Newspaper Front Pages on July 25

IFP Editorial Staff

July 25, 2016

Newspapers on Monday covered the ongoing visit of Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to Africa. Aimed at tapping into the economic potentials of the continent, Zarif’s tour began by visiting the Nigerian capital of Abuja.

The papers also covered a ceremony in which thousands of satellite dishes and equipment, which had been voluntarily delivered to IRGC’s Basij forces, were destroyed. This came as Culture Minister Ali Jannati once again called for revision of laws regarding the use of satellite receivers and equipment, saying that the country should finally accept it like other new technologies.

The formation of an anti-Iran coalition by Arab and Israeli sides was also a top story in many newspapers.

The above issues as well as many more are covered in the following headlines:

Abrar:

1- Power Has Poisoned Erdogan: Gulen

2- Moderate Regional Countries Want to Form Anti-Iran League

3- Kashmir Can Never Be Part of Pakistan: India

4- We Won’t Forget Humiliation of Our Soldiers in Iran: Trump

Abrar-e Eqtesadi:

1- Iran’s Foreign Debts Decreased to $7.5bn

2- Iran Starts Oil Talks with Sri Lanka

Aftab-e Yazd:

1- Some Want to Hold Government Posts until They Die: Senior Conservative Bahonar

2- Rouhani Creates Jobs for Conservatives! An Advisor Close to Larijani Becomes Zarif’s Aide

3- Export Disease: 94% of Iranian Exporters Are Inactive

4- Neither Will I Withdraw, Nor Will I Be Disqualified: Ahmadinejad

5- Pakistani Beggars in Iran’s Lorestan Province

Arman-e Emrooz:

1- JCPOA Dispelled an Evil from Iran: Interior Minister

2- Nuclear Fusion Project and Iran’s Role

3- Friday Prayers Imams Should First Investigate about What They Hear: Culture Minister

Asrar:

1- Saudi Arabia Is Source of Global Terrorism: German Green Party Leader

2- We Are Ready for Proxy Wars: Army Ground Force Commander

3- Decrease in Iran’s Foreign Debts: CBI Governor

4- Iran’s Pro Football League (IPL) Begins Today

Ebtekar:

1- Fire of Rift in Muslim World: Will Afghanistan Become New Centre for ISIS Activities?

2- We All Were Negligent [on the issue of astronomical salaries]: Judiciary Spokesman

3- Parliamentary Diplomacy Complements Official Diplomacy: Larijani

4- Zarif Urges Shiites and Sunnis to Unite against Extremists

5- Space Travel: From Dream to Reality

6- Iran Is the Owner, Employer, and Executive of Arak Reactor Project: Salehi

Emtiaz:

1- Saudi Arabia Has No Right to Give Away Iran’s Hajj Quota: Official

2- Iran Hopeful about Export of Its Oil to Sri Lanka

3- Iran Has 1.5m Drug Addicts

Etemad:

1- 100,000 Satellite Dishes Destroyed a Few Days after Culture Minister Said 70% of Iranian People Watch Satellite TV Channels

2- Beginning of Excitement in Iranian Stadiums: Professional Football League Starts on Monday

Ettela’at:

1- ISIS’s Terrorist Attack on Kadhimiya Kills 18

2- 23 Terrorists Killed in Iran’s Northwest

3- Comprehensive Plan to Fight Dust Pollution in Sistan and Baluchestan Province [southeast of Iran]

Hamshahri:

1- Conflict between Iranian and Saudi Users in Twitter

2- No One Is Going to Apologize for Car Accidents

Hemayat:

1- Iran Breaks Monopoly of a Number of Countries in Chopper Simulator Production

2- Critical Conditions of Sheikh Zakzaky in Prison

3- We’re Witnessing a Cultural Liberalism in Iran: Deputy Head of Judiciary

4- Saudi Arabia Is to Blame for Any Possible Terrorist Attack in Iran: Official

Iran:

1- Satellite Use Should Be Accepted Like Other New Phenomena in the World: Culture Minister

2- When 70% of Iranians Become Criminals: A Report on Need for Revision of Satellite Law

Jame Jam:

1- Smuggled Fruits, Delivery at Your Place: Just a Phone Call for Receiving All Kinds of Foreign and Illegally-Imported Fruits

2- IAEA Has a Leak: Iran’s Protest at Amano [over leakage of secret documents on Iran’s nuclear energy program]

3- Iran’s Upper Hand in Intelligence Wars: A Report on Defeat of US, Israeli, and Saudi Intelligence Networks

Javan:

1- Gap in Riyadh’s Arab Coalition against Iran: Saudi Official Has Met Israeli Authority Responsible for Assassinating Palestinian Leaders

2- Mosul to Be Liberated Using Popular Forces’ Help: US Fails in Plan to Keep Popular Mobilization Forces Away from Mosul Operation

3- After Westerners, Now Saudis Are Insulting Iranians: Mr President! You Were Supposed to Prevent the World from Insulting Iranian Passport!

Jomhouri Eslami:

1- Elites of Iranian Society Will Once Again Vote for Rouhani: Cleric

2- Iran and Egypt’s Al-Azhar University Both Call for Shiite-Sunni Unity and Fight against Slaughter of Muslims

3- Some Arab Countries Trying to Form a Coalition with Israel

Kayhan:

1- Arab Reactionaries Call on Israel to Form Arabic-Hebrew Coalition against Iran!

2- Saipa’s Ambiguous Contract with Peugeot-Citroen

3- Europe on Verge of Economic Death: Missouri University Professor

4- Advisor to Netanyahu: Iran’s Slogans in Support of the Poor Is Dangerous!

5- They Slaughter All of My Brothers and Sisters; Sheikh Zakzaky Is Blinded and Paralyzed: Child

Khorasan:

1- Saudi Dagger in Palestinian Cause: Project Kicked Off for Normalization of Riyadh-Tel Aviv Ties

2- 13 Offending Judges Receive Prison Terms

3- President Rouhani Issues Orders for “Mashhad 2017”: Selection of Mashhad as Cultural Capital of Islam Should Pave the Way for Increased Services in the City

4- Arak Plant Will Be Re-Opened and Iran’s Enrichment Will Be Increased to 100,000 SWU in 1.5 Years [if Iran wants to restore its nuclear energy program]: Spokesman

Resalat:

1- One-Digit Inflation Rate Is Unreal: Conservative Politician

2- Aristocracy in Rouhani’s Gov’t Has Reached a Disastrous Level

3- Turkish Delegation to Travel to US for Extradition of Gulen: Erdogan

4- West’s Double-Standard Approach towards Terrorism Exacerbates Security Crisis in the World

Roozan:

1- Conservatives Getting Close to Rouhani for Next Year’s Presidential Polls

2- How Much Does It Take to Develop Sistan and Baluchestan Province? MP Criticize Government’s Negligence in Countering Dust Pollution in Deprived Province

3- Commutation for Some of Those Who Attacked Saudi Embassy in Tehran: Judiciary Spokesman

4- Iran Searching for What Its Economy Misses in Africa

Shahrvand:

1- Iran and Afghanistan to Fight Dust Pollution by Forming Working Group to Revive Hamoun Lake: Afghanistan’s Herat Main Source of Dust in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan

2- Erdogan Is Right about Being Afraid of Gulen: Iran’s Ex-Attaché

3- Expensive Education in Iran: Iranian Families Pay $3bn Each Year for Their Children’s Education

4- A Bill to Provide Security for Iranian Women

Shargh:

1- How Anti-Riot Police Was Formed in Iran, MP Explains

2- Rouhani Didn’t Sleep during the Night of Turkish Coup: Turkish Ambassador to Tehran

3- 10 Iranian Ministries Mobilized against Dust Pollution

4- First ‘Kiarostami’ Prize Awarded to Shahram Mokri

Sobh-e Now:

1- Sheikh Zakzaky on Verge of Full Blindness

2- Saudi Arabia’s Support for Armament of Opponents of Iran’s Revolution: Analyst

3- Symbolic Farewell to Thousands of Satellite Equipment and Devices

Vatan-e Emrooz:

1- The Plot Is Disclosed! Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization Protest at IAEA for Leakage of nrSecret Documents of a Deal between Amano and Salehi

2- Culture Minister: I Condemn the Disclosure of Astronomical Salaries!

3- Summer Blackouts Begin: Energy Ministry’s Secrecy Leads to Power Cuts for All People Regardless of Amount of Power Consumption

4- New Details of Saudi Arabia’s Sedition in Kordestan

Turkish President’s Surprising Reception of Newly-Weds

IFP Editorial Staff

July 25, 2016

In a quirkier move, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan decided to host a newly-wed Turkish couple after they were reportedly demonstrating against the coup in front of the presidential palace in the capital city Ankara.

According to multiple news outlets, Erdogan surprised the couple by inviting them inside the presidential palace and in front of Turkish press, as reported by Khabar Online and covered by IFP.

Once inside, he shook hands and gave a kiss on the cheek to the delighted bride and groom before standing in front of the cameras for a brief photo-shoot, Al Bawaba reported.

In a video released by the Turkish TvNet, Erdogan can be seen putting a golden bracelet on the wrist of the bride before walking a bit and laughing with the newly-weds.

This is not the only story of married couples distinguishing themselves during the coup. Another couple in the city of Yaladagi turned their wedding party into a large outdoor demonstration against the coup as it was happening.

Retired Saudi General Visits Israel, Meets Official

IFP Media Wire

July 25, 2016

Anwar Eshki made the visit earlier last week, meeting with Israel’s foreign ministry director general Dore Gold Yoav Mordechai and a number of Knesset members, the daily Ha’aretz reported.

The daily called the visit “a highly unusual one,” as Eshki couldn’t have travelled to Israel without approval from the Saudi government.

Eshki and Gold raised an uproar first in June 2015 when they held a publicized joint event in Washington, after meeting privately several times over the preceding year.

Gold attended the event a few days before assuming the role of director general of the Israeli foreign ministry.

Israeli legislator Esawi Freige, who organized Eshki’s meeting with his fellow members of Knesset, shed some light on the trip. “The Saudis want to open up to real,” he said.

“This is a strategic step for them. They said they want to continue what former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat started. They want to get closer to Israel. This is clearly evident,” Fregie noted.

He was referring to the former Egyptian president’s negotiations with Israel, which culminated in the Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty in 1979 – the first between an Arab state and Tel Aviv at the time.

Haaretz said that during the meeting with the parliamentarians, Eshki encouraged dialog in Israel on Saudi Arabia’s Arab Peace Initiative.

The proposal was unveiled in 2002, offering normalized ties with Israel by 22 Arab countries in return for Tel Aviv’s withdrawal from the occupied West Bank.

During an interview with the Qatari news channel Al Jazeera in April, Eshki said Riyadh would open an embassy in Tel Aviv if Israel accepted the Saudi initiative. He also said the Saudis were not interested in “Israel becoming isolated in the region.”

Back in May, Israeli newspaper Arutz Sheva reported that Saudi Arabia and its Persian Gulf allies, namely Jordan and Egypt, had been sending messages to Israel through various emissaries, including former British PM Tony Blair.

They had asked Tel Aviv to resume Middle East negotiations under new terms, which included changes to the Saudi initiative, the paper said.

Most Arab governments have no diplomatic relations with Israel. Even so, reports have indicated that several of them, including Saudi Arabia, have had secret relations with Tel Aviv.

Last November, the Associated Press reported that Israel was set to open a “permanent mission” in the UAE.

In May, the Middle East Eye news portal reported that Israel and some Arab countries, including the UAE, Egypt, and Jordan, were planning to overthrow Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and replace him with former leader of the Fatah movement Mohammad Dahlan.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry travelled to Jerusalem al-Quds for talks with Israeli leaders earlier this month.

The minister outraged many Egyptians for visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s family, during which the two watched the Euro 2016 soccer final.