US President Joe Biden lands in Saudi Arabia this afternoon as part of his Middle East tour, after a three-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian Territories. One of its main missions now consists of bringing together its two main allies in the region, the Saudi Kingdom and the Jewish state, within the framework of normalizations between Israel and its Arab neighbors.
With our correspondent in Jerusalem, Sami Boukhelifa
The Saudi announcement came before the unprecedented Tel Aviv/Jeddah direct flight to be made by Joe Biden, the first of its kind between Israel and Saudi Arabia which does not officially recognize the Jewish state. As a sign of relaxation, Riyadh announced this morning that it would open its airspace to all companies, including Israeli companies. The Saudi gesture was immediately welcomed by Jewish state officials. There is therefore no longer any need for Israeli airlines to make huge detours to reach the Asian countries of the Far East.
When a plane will now take off from Tel Aviv International Airport and take the eastern route, it will be able to fly over Saudi territory without any problem. ” This is a first step “Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said in” thanking Saudi Arabia for this measure which, according to Transport Minister Merav Michaeli, will help strengthen relations between Israel and other countries in the Middle East “.
Transfer of sovereignty of the islands of Tiran and Sanafir
The Saudis are not the only ones making a gesture towards the Jewish state. The Israeli media are also announcing an initiative by their leaders in favor of the great Gulf monarchy. The Jewish state would have approved an agreement between Americans, Egyptians and Saudis on the transfer of sovereignty of the islands of Tiran and Sanafir to Riyadh. Egypt already returned these islands to Saudi Arabia in 2017. But Israel still had a say.
Because these two strategic islands, located on the Red Sea, notably allow access to the Israeli port of Eilat. After the Six Day War in 1967, they were occupied by the Jewish state. The Israeli army eventually withdrew from the islands in 1979 under the peace agreement between Israel and Egypt. Since then, the two islands have been demilitarized and a multinational force is present there. It is in this capacity that Israel has a say in the change of sovereignty of these two islands.
After a Palestinian stage, in Bethlehem, in the West Bank, during which he was welcomed by President Mahmoud Abbas for an interview focused on economic aid, the Saudi stage of Joe Biden’s tour in the Middle East, is a minefield. for the president who promised to put human rights at the heart of his diplomacy. Still a candidate, Joe Biden had promised to make the oil monarchy a ” pariah ” due to the assassination of Saudi journalist and critic Jamal Khashoggiand once elected, had declassified a damning report on the accountability of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS).
In Jeddah on Friday, Joe Biden will meet King Salman and then join his team in talks with MBS, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, and Saudi ministers.
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