Saudi FM denies covert ties with Israel

MENA

Published: 2017-11-21 13:00

Last Updated: 2024-03-20 01:55


The Saudi Foreign Minister has denied any secret cooperation with Israel (Wikimedia Commons)
The Saudi Foreign Minister has denied any secret cooperation with Israel (Wikimedia Commons)

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister has denied any relations between the kingdom and Israel, a day after Israel admitted that there were covert meetings between the two countries.

“There are no relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel,” Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir said in an interview on Monday.

The comments come after an Israeli minister publicly confirmed for the first time that Israel and Saudi Arabia have been coordinating in secret as they strive to confront Iran.

Saudi Arabia and Israel do not hold formal diplomatic relations but there have long been reports that the two states are working together covertly.

The Israeli Foreign Minister, Yuval Steinitz, admitted that there had been contact between the Jewish state and the Arab kingdom but said that Riyadh was intent on keeping the relationship a secret.

Saudi Arabia’s leaders are sensitive to claims of cooperation with Israel as much of the Saudi public see the country as an enemy.

Jubeir has several times of the last two years that there is “no relationship” with Israel.

When asked about rumours of covert ties last week, Jubeir responded that there can only be a relationship between the two countries if there was a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.