
Israel’s regional cooperation minister says that he has asked Saudi Arabia to admit direct flights from Tel Aviv for Muslim pilgrims to perform the Hajj, pointing to a possible new accommodation by Riyadh ahead of next week’s visit by US President Joe Biden.
Israeli Regional Cooperation Minister Esawi Freij on Thursday said Israel has been working to bring what he deemed as “under-the-counter” contacts between the countries – based mostly on commercial interests and shared worries about Iran – more into the open.