Saudi Arabia is looking to normalize ties with Israel, although it will take time, i24NEWS news outlet reported, citing a senior diplomatic official in Riyadh.
The chairman of Israel's Bank Leumi is due to speak at Saudi Arabia's flagship investment conference in Riyadh on Thursday. It's the latest sign of a potential thawing in relations between the kingdom and Tel Aviv.
A political commentator says the much-talked-about plan to form a NATO-style coalition of Arab states is a mere psychological operation aimed at repairing the morale of the Arab regimes that have been let down by the US despite years of cooperation with Washington.
The Saudi crown prince has stepped up his diplomatic efforts to break the mould and mark the fifth anniversary of his designation to the post by normalization of relations with Israel and a thaw in ties with the United States, a political analyst says.
A virtual summit hosted by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was held last week to discuss the omicron variant. Reports say Israeli and Saudi foreign ministers were among those taking part in the event.
