Saudi official denies Israeli rabbi invited to forum

Riyadh: A Saudi official has denied reports that Saudi Arabia extended an invitation to an Israeli rabbi to attend the inter-faith conference to be held in Madrid this month to be launched by Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz.

The official said the invitation was restricted to Jewish rabbis from outside Israel as well as to those opposing Zionism and the establishment of the Zionist state.

The official refuted the claims of David Rozan, an Israeli rabbi, who said that he had received an invitation from the Makkah-based Muslim World League (MWL), the main organiser of the event.

"The MWL has not and will not invite any rabbi with Israeli citizenship to take part in the inter-faith dialogue conference," he said.