Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Israeli media: Military helicopters evacuated wounded Israeli soldiers from inside the Gaza Strip
Gaza Media Office: 96% of Gaza’s population faces severe food insecurity, including over one million children
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza: A large number of martyrs and wounded reported after IOF targeted Palestinians waiting for aid south of Khan Younis
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza: A large number of martyrs and wounded reported after the IOF targeted Palestinians waiting for aid south of Khan Younis
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza: Many hospitals in the Gaza Strip are expected to shut down due to the lack of fuel needed to operate generators
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza: Intense Israeli shelling and airstrikes overnight targeted dozens of homes and displaced persons' tents in various areas of the Gaza Strip
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in southern Lebanon: An Israeli drone targeted the city of al-Khiam with two missiles
Al Mayadeen correspondent in southern Lebanon: An Israeli drone strike targeted the town of Yater, South Lebanon
Lebanese Ministry of Health: One martyr and five wounded in an Israeli drone strike on a car in Al-Numayriyeh, Nabatieh District.
Al Mayadeen correspondent to Gaza: The areas required to be evacuated in western Gaza contain tens of thousands of displaced people.

Israeli banker hails Saudi investment opportunities at Riyadh forum

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 27 Oct 2022 21:41
  • 2 Shares
4 Min Read

This would mark "the first official public visit of a senior Israeli business official to the country," according to the Israeli bank.

  • x
  • Israeli banker hails Saudi investment opportunities at a Riyadh forum
    The head of Bank Leumi Samer Haj-Yehia

The head of Bank Leumi, an Israeli bank, attended a Saudi investor forum on Thursday in which he praised the Kingdom's "amazing" opportunities, as business and trade increase between the Israeli occupation and Saudi Arabia. 

Samer Haj-Yehia, who is the chairman of Bank Leumi, addressed the Future Investment Initiative forum; a 3-day conference held in Riyadh referred to as the "Davos in the Desert."

"The opportunities are amazing and the fintech industry in particular is on the rise," he said during a panel discussion. 

"You see the economy is very healthy, unlike other economies around the world, and the prospects for the future are very positive," he added, highlighting strong access to capital in oil-rich Saudi Arabia and the young population's adoption of "very advanced mobile technology."

Bank Leumi, in a statement, described Haj-Yehia's contribution to the forum as "the first official public visit of a senior Israeli business official to the country." Saudi Arabia has not officially recognized "Israel" but has opened its markets to Israeli investment firms and its airspace to Israeli airlines. 

Haj-Yehia's visit would not be the first. In 2020, around the time of the signing of the so-called "Abraham Accords", he "led the first delegation of senior Israeli businessmen to Dubai," according to the statement from Bank Leumi. A year later, he visited Bahrain "with the aim of promoting business and economic cooperation."

Read next: Israeli occupation, Bahrain sign joint security agreement

"The Israelis will take anything they can get from the Saudis," said Hussein Ibish of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. "And the Saudi government is effectively comfortable with anything that doesn't create too much public controversy: limited steps, things that appear not to signal a major change in relations or policy. This is like that."

Though Riyadh did not normalize ties with the Israeli occupation yet, unlike Abu Dhabi and Manama, it has already kicked off economic normalization with "Tel Aviv". The Kingdom is already issuing special visas to Israeli settlers, with Israeli and Saudi sources saying there has been a hike in signed deals recently and advanced contact concerning investments of Saudi businessmen and investment funds in "Israel".

In an article by Israel Hayom published in May, it has been revealed that Israeli envoys visited Riyadh several times throughout a period of time that extends for over a decade now. However, these visits have always been kept secret, but according to the Israeli newspaper, they can now be revealed.

No longer a secret

There has been one exception to the secret visits and that is Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit in November of 2020 to the Red Sea city of Neom, which was widely yet carefully publicized, where he met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS).

Previously, Israeli Security Minister Benny Gantz had visited Saudi Arabia as chief of staff, while Aluf Meir Dagan, Tamir Pardo, and Yossi Cohen arrived as heads of Mossad and Ben Shabbat as head of the National Security Council.

The purpose of the visit was to develop security coordination, especially against Iran. Netanyahu, as did most Israeli officials, had flown to Saudi Arabia in a private plane especially leased for this occasion. At the time, it was business contacts that have matured into political, military, and security deals.

The Neom meeting was coordinated by the former head of Mossad, Yossi Cohen, whose two predecessors had also visited Saudi Arabia in previous years. Meetings were not uniquely held by higher levels of institutions, but also by lower levels such as the “world” division which handles international relations with countries which “Israel” has diplomatic relations with, as well as those with secret relations similar to Saudi Arabia. 

Gantz, previously chief of staff for the IOF and currently the Security Minister and Deputy PM of “Israel” since 2020, had visited Saudi Arabia on multiple occasions. The main goal of these meetings is to strengthen security coordination against Iran and Ansar Allah in Yemen.

  • Bank Leumi
  • Israel
  • Saudi Arabia

Most Read

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Major ambush in Gaza kills 6 Israeli troops, injures dozens

Major ambush in Gaza kills 5 Israeli troops, injures 14

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Concrete and rubble fall from a heavily damaged building as Israeli soldiers search for survivors in a residential area hit by a missile fired from Iran, near Tel Aviv, occupied Palestine, Sunday, June 15, 2025 (AP)

'Israel' concealed damage inflicted by Iran in war, report finds

  • Politics
  • 5 Jul 2025
Israeli soldiers are seen in Beit Hanoun ahead of an operation by the al-Qassam Brigades, undated (Al-Qassam Brigades Military Media)

'Israel' on blast as media exposes report discrepancies in Gaza ambush

  • Palestine
  • 8 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Yemenis burn US and Israeli flags during an anti-US and anti-Israeli weekly rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, June 20, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Sanaa slams UN envoy over biased statement on Red Sea operations

Palestinians carry the body of Abdul Qusay Issa, 23, who was killed in an Israeli military raid, during his funeral at the West Bank village of Salem, near Nablus, Sunday, July 6, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Israeli settlers kill Palestinian youth in brutal West Bank assault

Vehicles drive past a banner showing portraits of the Iranian armed forces commanders and nuclear scientists who were killed in an Israeli strike, at Tajrish Square in northern Tehran, Iran, Monday, June 30, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Iran envisions a resistant, independent Middle East, Larijani says

An al-Qassam Brigades fighter stands over the corpse of an Israeli soldier killed in Khan Younis, Gaza, in footage published on July 10, 2025 (Al-Qassam Brigades Military Media)
Politics

Al-Qassam kill Israeli soldier in new 'scandal' for Israeli forces

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS