In a surprising first, a Saudi Arabian newspaper has wished Jewish people around the world a happy new year during Rosh Hashanah.
English-language daily newspaper Arab News, wished followers on X/Twitter “Shana Tova,” alongside a picture of apples and honey.
I never thought I would see something like this in my lifetime, but here we are:
— Oren Kessler (@OrenKessler) September 16, 2023
Saudi Arabia’s Arab News newspaper wishing Jews a happy new year, in its profile pic, in Hebrew: https://t.co/hmNXLl2b07 pic.twitter.com/MIlN2eBLXQ
The newspaper, which is closely associated with the Saudia Arabian royal family was established as the first English-language daily in the Kingdom and is owned by Prince Turki Bin Salman Al Saud, the brother of Saudi Ruler Muhammad Bin Salman
The greeting comes as US officials work to encourage ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel
Israel and Saudi Arabia are believed to be currently negotiating a normalisation deal which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared a top priority for his government.
The US State Department and the Israeli government have both denied reports in the Arabic language press that said negotiations were thrown into chaos after the Saudi delegation suspended talks over the weekend.
