Israel 'supporting Saudi Arabia Expo 2030 bid' as part of normalisation efforts

Israel will support Saudi Arabia’s bid to host Expo 2030 as part of its efforts to normalise ties with the kingdom, Israel's Kan public broadcaster has reported.

A reception was held in the French capital on Monday to launch Riyadh’s bid for the international exhibition, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is in Paris on an official visit, attending.

An unnamed delegate representing Israel was invited to attend that event, Kan reported on Sunday, without citing sources.

Saudi Arabia’s Gulf neighbour, the United Arab Emirates, hosted the last Expo between October 2021 and March 2022, pushed back from 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The event happens every five years and is next scheduled to take place in Osaka, Japan in 2025. The host city for Expo 2030 will be announced in November.

"Jerusalem is thus sending a message that it is interested in warming its ties with Saudi Arabia," the report by The Times of Israel said.

Is Saudi Arabia heading for normalisation with Israel?

✍ @GiorgioCafiero https://t.co/dncahdlcZD

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) June 17, 2022

The United States is trying to mediate a normalisation agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right government eager to strike such a deal with Riyadh as soon as possible.

In 2020, Israel established ties with the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco under the controversial Abraham Accords, which were slammed by Palestinians as a betrayal of their cause.

But despite hints at normalisation, Saudi Arabia has continued to echo a long-standing Arab League stance that normalisation of ties with Israel will only occur when an independent Palestinian state is created.

The kingdom’s foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, said earlier this month that a regional normalisation push with Israel has "limited benefits" without Palestinians being given their own state.

A US report on Saturday said Saudi Arabia could make demands for US approval of a civilian nuclear programme as a condition for normalising ties with Israel.

Riyadh may also seek greater access to US weapons and a guaranteed defence pact with Washington.