Minister of Communications Dr. Shlomo Karhi is leading a 14-man Israeli delegation to the Universal Postal Union’s 2023 Extraordinary Congress in Riyadh.
By Sveta Listratov, TPS
Israeli Minister of Communications Dr. Shlomo Karhi arrived in Saudi Arabia for an international conference, marking the second in the past week that an Israeli Cabinet minister has paid an official visit to the kingdom.
“It is a great honor to represent the State of Israel in this historic visit to Saudi Arabia. It is especially meaningful to visit during the holiday of Sukkot, a time of renewal, gratitude and blessing in the Jewish faith,” Karhi told the Tazpit Press Service in an exclusive statement from Riyadh.
“Our goal is to continue the cooperation between peoples and nations for the benefit of the citizens of the entire world. We are deeply appreciative and grateful to the UPU and to our Saudi hosts for their incredibly warm and generous hospitality. For the welfare and advancement of all humanity, we will continue to work together to promote cooperation between our people, nations, and countries,” he added.
Karhi is leading a 14-man Israeli delegation to the Universal Postal Union’s 2023 Extraordinary Congress in Riyadh. The delegation arrived on Monday night, and on Tuesday morning, Karhi posted on X, formerly Twitter, photos of his group saying morning prayers in a hotel room. The photos included Karhi with a Torah scroll, and members of the delegation holding palm fronds associated with the week-long holiday of Sukkot.
“We were privileged to pray with open windows towards Jerusalem. Time for joy,” Karhi tweeted.
Saudi officials have tried to make special arrangements for Karhi, who is religious and must eat during the Jewish holiday in a temporary outdoor booth known as a sukkah.
Karhi is expected to address communication ministers and representatives from across the globe during the UPU conference. He is scheduled to meet with US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Michael Ratney. He is also due to meet with his Turkish counterpart to discuss opportunities for collaboration.
The visit comes on the heels of Israeli Tourism Minister Haim Katz paying the first official to Saudi Arabia by an Israeli official. Katz led an Israeli delegation attending the United Nations Tourism Organization (UNWTO) conference, also in Riyadh.
The back-to-back ministerial trips are the latest indication that a normalization deal between the two countries, seen as increasingly likely in the coming months, is indeed advancing.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has repeatedly said that bringing Saudi Arabia into the Abraham Accords would constitute a “quantum leap” for peace in the Middle East.