Israeli reports say Netanyahu met Saudi crown prince. Saudis deny it
A covert meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia would be a historic first, suggesting that the two countries were making progress toward establishing formal diplomatic relations.
But the contradictory news on Monday about such a meeting — with unsourced Israeli media reports saying it had taken place clashing with a denial from the Saudi foreign minister — highlighted the domestic politics in each country and signaled how far apart the two countries remained from the prospect of exchanging ambassadors.
Israeli news outlets reported early Monday that Netanyahu and the head of Israel’s Mossad spy agency, Yossi Cohen, had flown to Saudi Arabia on a private jet on Sunday evening. In a meeting with Prince
Mohammed in Neom, a futuristic city planned near the Red Sea coast, the three men discussed Iran, which both countries consider a threat, and the possible normalization of relations, the Israeli reports said.
Netanyahu refused to comment, but Israeli journalists close to him were among the first to report the story. Flight-tracking websites documented the jet’s trip from Tel Aviv to Saudi Arabia, and three officials close to Netanyahu alluded to the meeting’s significance, appearing to confirm that it happened.
“The fact that the meeting took place and was made public — even if it was in only a semiofficial way — is something of great importance,” Yoav Galant, the education minister, said in a radio interview. “This is something our ancestors dreamed about.”
But hours after the news echoed around the world, the Saudi foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, denied that any meeting with Netanyahu had taken place, insisting that Prince
Mohammed had met only with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
“There was no meeting,” Prince Faisal wrote in a text message. He said he had accompanied Pompeo throughout his visit and “Saudi and American officials were the only ones present.”
The conflicting statements reflected different priorities: Israel and the Trump administration have promoted the idea that a diplomatic opening between Saudi Arabia and Israel is only a matter of time, while the Saudis have insisted that an IsraeliPalestinian peace deal must come first.
Netanyahu, who has often been accused of leaking reports for political gain, is eager to improve his standing at home as a leader who can turn Israel’s foes into friends and to divert attention from corruption allegations.