CBNNews.com - JERUSALEM, Israel - Israeli Rabbi David Rosen received an invitation from Saudi Arabia's King Abudullah and the World Muslim League to attend an interfaith dialogue to be held in Madrid this month.

Rosen, who heads interfaith relations for the American Jewish Committee and is president of the International Jewish Committee for Inter-religious Consultations, will be the only Israeli rabbi at conference, which will be held July 16-18.

Rabbis representing the three mainstream Jewish movements -- Orthodox, Conservative and Reform Judaism -- have also been invited to the conference in Madrid.

Some 200 interfaith leaders received invitations to the conference, which follows a meeting last month in Saudi Arabia of Sunni and Shi'ite Muslim leaders.

"They are building up to the big summit in stages," Rabbi Rosen said. "Apparently it would be too big of a step for the Saudis to invite either of the two chief rabbis of Israel, but I hope they will reach that step eventually," he said, adding that he hoped the Madrid conference would lead the way for more open contact with Israeli officials.

"I think that will be a great achievement," the rabbi said.

Source: Haaretz