Israel asks Saudi Arabia for direct flights 

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said on Tuesday that he expects there to be direct flights between the occupation state and Saudi Arabia “by March next year,” the Jerusalem Post has reported. Cohen made his prediction as talks between Riyadh and Washington are ongoing over a security pact that would include a normalisation of Saudi Arabia’s ties with Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has long hoped that it could arrange for direct flights between the two countries. To date, though, its efforts have been unsuccessful.

“One of the things that I told the Saudis is that they should authorise flights from Ben-Gurion International Airport to Makkah,” said Cohen, particularly for the Hajj pilgrimage. “That would be for Muslims in Israel, who make up 20 per cent of the population.”

He added that the Saudis “understand” the economic benefits of normalisation with Israel. “We are not their enemies, we are their partners. Their enemy is Iran.”

OPINION: US proposal to rescue Israel is as offensive as it is ridiculous