Saudi, Syrian figures visit Israeli Knesset

By Nava Freiberg
The Times of Israel
July 9, 2025

"Syrian activist Shadi Martini paid a rare visit to the Israeli Knesset and said new Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa had called the movement toward forging peace with Israel a once-in-a-century opportunity, but worried the chance could slip away.

"…Martini and Saudi journalist Abdulaziz Alkhamis attended the a meeting of the Knesset Lobby for Advancing a Regional Security Arrangement against the backdrop of… potentially expanding the Abraham Accords normalization agreements…

"'Israel needs to explain what’s the end game here,' Martini said… 'Trust is one big commodity that is lacking in the Middle East.'

"Alkhamis pointed out that ‘from the Saudi lens,’ the fate of Palestinians in Gaza 'lies [at] the heart of the matter.'

"'No state can expect to be impressed when our people next door are encaged and disenfranchised,' he said in English. 'Normalization from Saudi Arabia’s perspective is not merely a dual agreement, it’s a regional realignment, and such realignment must include a credible and tangible path to Palestinian sovereignty.'

"'Today Saudi Arabia and Israel stand at the edge of a new era, one shared not by old slogans but shared interests — energy transition, economic modernization, AI innovation, climate security, Red Sea security,' he continued. 'Do we cling to the 20th century, with its borders soaked in blood and ideologies stuck in time? Or do we redraw the map — geopolitically, economically, morally?'"

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