The Israeli Foreign Ministry's official Arabic Twitter account wished Saudi Arabia good luck ahead of Thursday's opening match against Russia in World Cup 2018.

"The Saudi team is about to play the opening match in the World Cup against Russia after 12 years of absence. The team's star is Mohammad Al-Sahlawi. The Saudis suceeded in reaching the round of 16 in the 1994 World Cup. Best of luck!"

The tweet comes four days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a major Jewish gathering in Jerusalem on Sunday that Israel’s relations with Arab nations were “improving beyond imagination” and predicted that “this will ultimately help achieve peace with our Palestinians neighbors.”

The key message of the Israeli prime minister – who earned several rounds of loud applause during this speech, as well as a standing ovation at the end – was that times have never been better for Israel, economically or diplomatically.