Israel Asks Saudi Arabia To Receive Direct Flights From Tel Aviv For Muslim Wants To Go To Mecca

Hajj Terminal at King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah. (Wikimedia Commons/Yousefmadari)

JAKARTA - Ahead of US President Joe Biden's visit next week, Israel asked Saudi Arabia to receive a direct flight from Tel Aviv for Muslims who want to go to Mecca, Israeli Regional Cooperation Minister Esawi Freij said.

Israeli officials have also asked for expanded permits for their airlines to fly over Saudi Arabia to Asia.

Saudi Arabia is known to recognize Israel and said nothing about possible bilateral developments during President Joe Biden's visit. Meanwhile, Israel also avoided withdrawing such relations.

However, Esawi's Minister Freij said Israel had worked to bring what he considered "under contra" contact between countries, largely based on commercial interests and shared concerns about Iran, more open.

"I want to see a day when I can depart from Ben-Gurion (the near airport of Tel Aviv) to Jeddah to fulfill my religious obligations, Hajj to Mecca," Freij said, a part of Israel's Muslim minority of 18 percent of the country's total population., reported The National News July 7th.

"I was discussing this issue with Saudi Arabia and I really hope that day will come," he told Israeli Army Radio, without explaining where or when such discussions would take place.

Saudi Arabia has long received Muslim pilgrims from Israel, but they must travel through a third country. It ended at a cost of around $11,500 to stay for a week, Freij said. Companies from neighboring Arab countries paid about half.