Israeli delegation worships, reads Torah in Saudi Arabia

Riyadh: The Israeli government delegation, led by Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, participated in a Jewish prayer ceremony in Saudi Arabia.

The prayer ceremony took place on a Tuesday morning and included a minyan, a quorum of ten Jewish participants.

While the majority of the delegation consisted of members accompanying Minister Karhi to Saudi Arabia for the Universal Postal Union's 2023 delegation, three Jewish individuals who were in Riyadh joined the service.

Photographs released by the Israeli minister's office captured the participants wearing traditional prayer shawls and engaging in their religious customs.

Notably, one image showed a participant reading from a holy book, believed to be the Torah, which was carefully wrapped in a cover.

Minister Shlomo Karhi, an Orthodox Jew, arrived in Saudi Arabia the previous evening to lead the delegation.

His visit closely followed that of his colleague, Haim Katz, who became the first Israeli minister to visit the kingdom just a week earlier.

The delegation consisted of a total of 14 members and is expected to engage with various international figures during their visit, including the United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Michael Ratney.