Saudi Arabia is expected to announce this week that it will allow commercial flights from Israel to use its airspace to enable the country's Muslim minority to fly directly to the kingdom to participate in the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, known as the Hajj, the CNN reported Wednesday quoting sources.
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News of the unprecedented move comes against the backdrop of US President Joe Biden's visit to Israel, and later Saudi Arabia. In fact, Biden's will be the first direct flight from the Jewish state to the Gulf power. The kingdom has in recent years granted overflight rights to airlines flying from Israel but has not allowed the formation of direct flights that would land in Saudi Arabia as there are no official ties between the two countries.
Previously, the US president was sharply critical of Riyadh, even saying during the presidential campaign that it should be treated like a "pariah" for human rights abuses. His administration released a declassified intelligence report saying that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman likely approved the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a US-based writer who was critical of the regime.
However, the shifting politics of energy have led Biden to change course, especially as American drivers face high costs at the gas pump. The global price spike could also make it more difficult for Biden to convince allies to keep pressuring Russia with sanctions as the war in Ukraine grinds on.
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