Saudi Arabia To Prevent Israeli Citizens From Visiting

Saudi Arabia has banned Israeli passport holders from entering the country, spelling disappointment for Israeil Muslims. (Wikimedia Commons)

One day after Israel lifted a ban on travel to Saudi Arabia, the Saudi government made clear that no Israeli passport holders would be allowed to enter the country. 

Israeli Interior Minister Aryeh Deri announced on January 26 that Israeli citizens would be granted the right to travel to Saudi Arabia for the first time in history. The statement detailed, however, that travel would be authorized under just two conditions: either a business trip of less than 90 days or a religious pilgrimage. Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper, revealed that before this travel ban had been lifted, such a pilgrimage would have cost thousands of dollars, and, as a result, the policy reversal was well-received. According to the Hajj and Umrah Committee, which assists Israeli Muslims wishing to make pilgrimage to Mecca, around 30,000 Israelis make the trip every year.

In response, however, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan told CNN that “our policy is constant. We don't have relations with Israel, and holders of Israeli passports cannot visit the kingdom for now.” Israel has yet to respond to Prince Faisal’s announcement, leaving its citizens unsure whether the government will try to push forward with its policy. 

This latest development in Saudi-Israel relations came just days before President Donald Trump unveiled his Israel-Palestine peace plan. Farhan suggested that such a peace deal could potentially lead to increased relations with Israel, saying, “When a peace treaty between the Palestinians and Israel is reached, the question of Israel's integration in the region will be on the table." With Palestine already having rejected Trump’s plan, however, it seems that greater regional cohesion remains a distant reality.