Minister Shlomo Karhi, who arrived in Saudi Arabia yesterday, presented the Four Species this morning (Tuesday) during the prayer held in an improvised synagogue at a hotel in the kingdom's capital.
In the announcement issued by Minister Karhi:
״וְכַוִּין פְּתִיחָן לֵהּ בְּעִלִּיתֵהּ נֶגֶד יְרוּשְׁלֶם וְזִמְנִין תְּלָתָה בְיוֹמָא הוּא בָּרֵךְ עַל בִּרְכוֹהִי וּמְצַלֵּא וּמוֹדֵא קֳדָם אֱלָהֵהּ״ (דניאל ו יא)
The windows were open in Daniel's home towards Jerusalem for prayer. Here in Riyadh as well, we had the opportunity to pray with windows open towards Jerusalem. Happy holiday."
Last night (between Monday and Tuesday), Minister of Communications Shlomo Karai arrived in Riyadh, leading the first official Israeli delegation to visit the country. The delegation includes 14 members, among them the Chairman of the Economic Committee David Bitan, the Director General and Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Communications, the Chief of Staff of the Minister and the Minister's Spokesperson, the Head of Foreign Relations, representatives from the Postal Service, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The delegation, which was accredited with a signed letter of appointment by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, will participate in an international conference taking place in Riyadh over the next two days. Members of the delegation will also meet with representatives from around the world as part of the conference.
Last week, Minister Haim Katz visited the Kingdom. As part of his visit to Riyadh, the minister met with leaders from several countries in the world, including some with which Israel does not have official relations. Katz summarized his visit, saying, "We made a crack in the wall. Over the past year, I worked to upgrade Israel's status in the UN tourism organization, and it has become an active partner with an official role. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's efforts and Israel's new position in the organization opened the gates to Saudi Arabia."