A member of Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet and Likud party confirmed media reports on Monday that the Israeli prime minister had held a meeting in Saudi Arabia, calling it an "amazing achievement".

"The very fact the meeting happened, and was outed publicly, even if half-officially right now, is a matter of great importance," Education Minister Yoav Gallant told Army Radio when asked about Sunday's visit, in which Israeli media said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met the Saudi crown prince and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

As U.S. President Donald Trump's term winds down, Pompeo has been trying to coax the Gulf powerhouse to follow its neighbors, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, in establishing formal relations with Israel.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, November 22, 2020. (Photo: Reuters)

Earlier media reports, quoting unidentified Israeli officials, said that Netanyahu was joined on his Saudi trip by Mossad director Joseph (Yossi) Cohen, who had spearheaded discreet diplomatic outreach to Gulf Arab states.

Avi Scharf of Israel's Haaretz newspaper published aviation tracking data showing that a business jet had made a brief trip from Tel Aviv to Neom, on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast, where bin Salman and Pompeo had a scheduled meeting on Sunday.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leave after making a joint statement in Jerusalem, November 19, 2020. (Photo: Reuters)

Riyadh has so far declined to normalize ties with Israel. But since August it has allowed Israeli airliners to overfly Saudi territory to newly available Gulf destinations and Asia.

More publicly closing ranks with the Saudi crown prince could help the conservative Netanyahu burnish his statesman credentials as he faces domestic challenges, including a trial on corruption charges, which he denies, and a feud with centrist coalition partner Benny Gantz, Israel's defense minister.

Asked on Saturday whether Riyadh had changed its position on Israel, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said the kingdom had supported complete normalization of ties "for a long time", but on condition that Israel and the Palestinians reach "a permanent and full peace deal".