Israeli delegation visits Saudi Arabia for UN heritage conference

An Israeli delegation has arrived in Saudi Arabia to attend a U.N. conference on world heritage sites, in the first public visit by government officials to the kingdom.

The delegation is led by the head of Israel’s Antiquities Authority and includes diplomats. It is not a bilateral visit, and it was unclear whether they would meet with Saudi officials.

The visit comes as Washington is pushing to broker normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia. The two countries are believed to have quietly cultivated ties in recent years over their shared suspicion of Iran.

The Saudis are reportedly demanding major progress on resolving the conflict with the Palestinians as a condition for normalization. However, the current Israeli government is the most right-wing in Israel’s history and is unlikely to make any significant concessions to the Palestinians.

The Israeli delegation’s visit is a sign of the thawing relations between the two countries. However, it is still unclear whether they will be able to overcome the challenges to normalization.

Here are some additional details about the visit:

• The delegation is led by Eli Escusido, the head of Israel’s Antiquities Authority.
• The delegation also includes diplomats from Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• The visit is not a bilateral visit, meaning that the Israeli delegation will not be meeting with Saudi officials.
• The visit comes as Washington is pushing to broker normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
• The Saudis are reportedly demanding major progress on resolving the conflict with the Palestinians as a condition for normalization.
• The Israeli delegation’s visit is a sign of the thawing relations between the two countries. However, it is still unclear whether they will be able to overcome the challenges to normalization.

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