Netanyahu hints at Saudi Arabia visit

Shafaq News/ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made an apparent reference to his visit to Saudi Arabia in a closed Likud meeting Saturday night, in what is his first known confirmation of the trip. According to Jerusalem Post

The Newspaper said Netanyahu met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) in the Saudi city of Neom last month. Israeli sources confirmed to Jerusalem Post that the visit, but no public statements have been made. The Saudi Foreign Ministry denied reported details of the meeting, but not that Netanyahu and MBS met.

Asked in a Likud secretariat meeting whether Israel plans to normalize ties with the Kurdish autonomous zone in Iraq, Netanyahu responded: "I recently visited other Arab states, and just like I couldn't tell [in advance] about the Emirates, I cannot say now."

Other than the trip to Saudi Arabia, no other recent trips by Netanyahu to Arab states have been made public. The prime minister hoped to visit the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain after they made peace with Israel in 2020, but has not done so yet.