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Israel Appoints Heifetz as Special Envoy for the Gulf

Zvi Heifetz (R) gives an exclusive interview to Xinhuanet in Beijing, capital of China, on Jan. 23, 2017. (Xinhuanet/He Xianfeng)
Zvi Heifetz (R) gives an exclusive interview to Xinhuanet in Beijing, capital of China, on Jan. 23, 2017. (Xinhuanet/He Xianfeng)
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Israel Appoints Heifetz as Special Envoy for the Gulf

Zvi Heifetz (R) gives an exclusive interview to Xinhuanet in Beijing, capital of China, on Jan. 23, 2017. (Xinhuanet/He Xianfeng)
Zvi Heifetz (R) gives an exclusive interview to Xinhuanet in Beijing, capital of China, on Jan. 23, 2017. (Xinhuanet/He Xianfeng)

Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi decided to appoint the diplomat and businessman, Zvi Heifetz, as a special envoy to the Gulf States.

Heifetz would be in charge with establishing two embassies in Abu Dhabi and Manama and a consulate in Dubai, and for advancing relations with other Gulf countries.

Heifetz, 64, is considered one of the most prominent Israeli diplomats working abroad. Born in Siberia, Russia, he is an international lawyer, a businessman, and a close associate of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

He started his diplomatic career as Israeli ambassador to Britain (2004 - 2007), then assumed the post of ambassador to Austria and to several international organizations.

In 2015, Heifetz was appointed ambassador to Moscow. He is considered the architect of the strategic Israeli-Russian cooperation currently taking place in Syria. Since January 2017, he has been serving as Israel’s ambassador to the People’s Republic of China and Mongolia.

Heifetz was selected as the special envoy to the Gulf states, “for being a high-ranking diplomat and a successful economist with great experience in careful management and leadership,” according to Ashkenazi.

His first mission in both the UAE and Bahrain will be to establish the Israeli embassies in Abu Dhabi and Manama and the consulate in Dubai, and then expand relations to other Gulf countries.

Israeli Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen had announced that he expected an imminent peace agreement to be signed with three Gulf countries.

In an interview with Yediot Aharonot, he said that the rapprochement between Qatar and the Gulf states would increase the opportunities for normalization with Israel.

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Gulf

Saudi Foreign Minister Arrives in Paris for G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Foreign Minister Arrives in Paris for G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah arrived in Paris on Sunday to attend the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, being hosted by France on November 9–10 at the invitation of the French G7 Presidency.
The meeting will discuss key international developments and issues, efforts to resolve crises and conflicts, maritime and port security, combating smuggling, enhancing the effectiveness of humanitarian response, food security and nutrition, and artificial intelligence security.
Saudi Arabia’s participation in the meeting reflects its active role in France’s G7 Presidency and its commitment to strengthening consultation and coordination with international partners and intensifying joint efforts to address current regional and international challenges.

Gulf

Saudi Arabia Offers Condolences to Egypt Following Deadly Train Collision

An Egyptian policeman stands guard at the site where train carriages derailed near al-Ayyat village in Giza governorate, south of Cairo, Egypt, November 8, 2026. (Reuters)
An Egyptian policeman stands guard at the site where train carriages derailed near al-Ayyat village in Giza governorate, south of Cairo, Egypt, November 8, 2026. (Reuters)
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Saudi Arabia Offers Condolences to Egypt Following Deadly Train Collision

An Egyptian policeman stands guard at the site where train carriages derailed near al-Ayyat village in Giza governorate, south of Cairo, Egypt, November 8, 2026. (Reuters)
An Egyptian policeman stands guard at the site where train carriages derailed near al-Ayyat village in Giza governorate, south of Cairo, Egypt, November 8, 2026. (Reuters)

Saudi Arabia offered on Sunday its condolences to Egypt and the families of the deceased following a train collision in south of Cairo.

In a statement, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed the Kingdom's solidarity with the government and people of Egypt during this tragic event, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.

Seven people were killed and over 100 others injured when two trains collided Sunday in the al-Ayyat district in Giza.

The crash occurred when a train traveling to the southwestern Fayoum province crashed into the rear of a train heading to the southern province of Aswan, according to the Transportation Ministry.

Gulf

Egypt Condemns Missile Launch Targeting Riyadh

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Cairo. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Cairo. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
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Egypt Condemns Missile Launch Targeting Riyadh

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Cairo. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Cairo. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Egypt stressed on Sunday its full support and solidarity with Saudi Arabia in all measures it takes to defend its security and sovereignty, protect its citizens, and safeguard its interests.

In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Egypt expressed its deepest condemnation of the continued heinous attacks on Saudi territory and the attempts to target its cities and interests, the latest of which was the firing of two ballistic missiles toward the city of Riyadh.

The ministry noted that these actions constitute a blatant violation of international law and the Kingdom's sovereignty and security, representing an escalatory approach and a direct threat to civilians.

During a joint press conference in Cairo with his Slovenian counterpart, Natasa Pirc Musar, last week, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned against undermining the security of Saudi Arabia, reiterating his country's "categorical rejection of any threat that might compromise the security and stability of the Kingdom and all other Gulf states."

Sisi stressed that Egypt stands in full solidarity with Arab nations, stemming from its firm belief that Arab national security is "one single, indivisible whole."