News - Middle East: Saudi Arabia has reportedly ignored requests to “seriously discuss” security details for Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen’s planned visit to the kingdom, effectively blocking the trip.

The US-based news website Axios, citing three Israeli officials, reported on Monday that Saudi Arabia had initially approved a request for Cohen to enter the country to participate in a UN-sponsored tourism event in the kingdom.

However, when it was time to arrange his security detail, it "became clear that the Saudis weren't going to have a serious discussion," and Cohen was forced to cancel his trip, the report said.  

Cohen was scheduled to attend the event of "Best Tourism Villages" by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) this week, after the UN body included the name of the the Circassian village of Kfar Kama in the northern part of the occupied territories on an exclusive list of tourist destinations.

The two-day event is taking place in the northwestern Saudi city of al-'Ula, which Riyadh is working to promote as a tourism hub.

According to Axios, Israel lobbied the UNWTO and the administration of US President Joe Biden to press the Saudis to allow Cohen to attend the UN event.

“Eventually the Saudis found a way to say 'yes' to the UN as they had to, but at the same time create conditions that won’t allow the visit to happen," a senior Israeli official told Axios.