by Israel Hayom Staff
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed normalizing Israeli-Saudi ties and U.S. President Trump's planned "deal of the century," says London-based Arab paper
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
Photo: AP
Saudi Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman met with senior Israeli officials during his visit
to Egypt this week, the London-based Arab newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed
reported on Wednesday.
The report said the meeting focused on the
normalization of ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia, and included
Saudi Arabia's commitment to the "deal of the century," the Middle East
peace plan being devised by U.S. President Donald Trump and his
administration.
Within that framework, Israel would take
part in the unprecedented real estate venture being sponsored by the
Saudis in the Gulf of Aqaba. Crown Prince Mohammed first announced plans
for the 26,500-square-kilometer (10,230-square-mile) zone at an
international investment conference in Riyadh last October. Officials
say public and private investment in the area is expected to reach $500
billion. The mega-city would be built on Saudi territory on the eastern
shore of the Red Sea near the border with Jordan , and connect to Egypt
across the gulf via a bridge running through the island of Tiran.
Known as Neom – from the Greek prefix "neo"
(new) and the first letter of the Arabic word "mostaqbal" (future) –
the mega-city is being billed as "the world's most ambitious project"
and is intended to become a transnational city and economic zone. The
crown prince's stated objective for the project is to wean Saudi Arabia,
the world's top crude exporter, off oil revenues.
The source who leaked the information about
the prince's meeting with the Israelis said that in light of the
shared sea border between Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Israel, it is
necessary to establish an international framework to include Israel in
the Saudi project.
According to the report, the prince, who is
currently in the U.K., is also applying immense pressure behind the
scenes on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to be part of
the American "deal of the century."
If an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal is
struck, the Saudis will reportedly be the beneficiaries of considerable
American investments, among other things in the Neom project. In
exchange, they will act as the Americans' spearhead for implementing the
peace agreement.
The prince is also scheduled to visit the United States, Saudi Arabia's closest Western ally, later this month.
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/2018/03/07/report-saudi-crown-prince-meets-senior-israeli-officials-in-egypt/
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