Saudi Not Committing To Allowing Israeli Reps To Attend UNESCO Meeting
Saudi Arabia has so far not signed a document committing to free access to all UNESCO members for the World Heritage Committee’s meeting in September, with the issue of allowing Israeli officials to enter the country as the main sticking point, Israeli officials and Western diplomats with direct knowledge of the issue told sources.
Saudi Arabia appears to be taking a cautious approach to any public steps that could be seen as normalization with Israel. The two countries do not have formal diplomatic relations, though the U.S. is pushing to get an agreement between the countries by early next year, U.S. officials have previously told Axios.
- U.S. officials have previously said they believe Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is ready to normalize relations with Israel but wants to do it as part of one big package deal with the U.S., and therefore, he doesn’t want to take any more incremental normalization steps.
- If the kingdom agrees to allow the Israeli representatives to visit the kingdom to participate in the meeting, it would be the first time officials from Israel are allowed to officially and publicly enter the country.
- If the Saudis refuse, the event could be moved to a different country.
UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee designates world heritage sites around the world.
- The committee’s last session was initially scheduled to take place in 2022 in Kazan, Russia, but was postponed after several member states said they would boycott the gathering due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
- Russia’s ambassador to UNESCO resigned last November, and the Russian mandate for hosting the heritage committee expired. The mandate was then given to Saudi Arabia.
- While Saudi Arabia has not specifically mentioned Israel in its objections, Israeli and UNESCO sources said that it is clear Israel is the primary sticking point.
- The Saudi delegation to UNESCO and the Saudi Embassy in Washington didn’t respond to requests for comment.
The negotiations on the “host country agreement” are still ongoing, and UNESCO officials are in contact on a high level with both the Saudi and the Israeli governments, Western diplomats and Israeli officials said.
- A decision must be made within a few weeks in order for there to be enough time to prepare for the meeting, the sources noted.
- A Western diplomat with direct knowledge of the issue told Axios the negotiations on the issue are moving in a positive way in recent days.
Saudi Arabia last March effectively blocked the participation of an Israeli delegation headed by Foreign Minister Eli Cohen in a conference of the UN tourism organization by stalling on issuing their visas and discussing security arrangements.
