Israeli-Saudi participation in virtual meeting under US sponsorship
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Israeli website reports a virtual conference about the Omicron COVID-19 variant including ministers from Saudi Arabia and the Israeli occupation.
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A Saudi official told CNN that Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan participated in the conference.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosted a virtual video conference with foreign ministers of several countries to discuss the Omicron COVID-19 variant, the Israeli website i24 reported.
The website added that the conference included ministers from Saudi Arabia and the Israeli occupation, and considered the event "unusual as the two states don’t hold diplomatic relations."
Neither Saudi Arabia nor any other country announced the Kingdom's participation in the conference.
However, a Saudi official told CNN that Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan participated in the conference with Blinken and others.
A statement issued by the US State Department spokesperson Ned Price confirmed that Blinken spoke with “several foreign ministers and representatives of regional organizations involved in the response to the omicron variant,” without specifying countries.
In a tweet, Israeli occupation Foreign Minister Yair Lapid indicated that the virtual conference took place on Tuesday, December 21.
Lapid mentioned that the conference included the foreign ministers of Japan, India, Mexico, Australia, Germany, and other countries, without naming Saudi Arabia.
CNN said it did not receive any response from the US State Department about Saudi participation in the conference.
Cyber protection conference
In the same context, the 'Israel' Defense website reported on December 1 that an international cyber protection conference will be held in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.
The @Hack conference kicked off in Riyadh on November 28, with Israeli companies taking part.
The website stressed that the conference represents a cornerstone showcasing cutting-edge developments in information and server security which tops Saudi Vision 2030.
