A visit to Ramallah by the Saudi, Emirati, Qatari, Egyptian, Jordanian and Turkish foreign ministers, which Hussein al-Sheikh, vice president of the Palestinian Authority, told CNN was scheduled for Sunday, won’t take place.
An Israeli official told reporters that the Jewish state blocked the visit, which would have been the highest-level visit by a Saudi diplomat to Judea and Samaria since the 1967 Six-Day War. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud had been slated to lead the delegation, which was to meet with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.
“The Palestinian Authority, which to this day refuses to condemn the Oct. 7 massacre, intended to host in Ramallah a provocative meeting of foreign ministers from Arab countries to discuss the establishment of a Palestinian state,” the Israeli official said.
“Such a state would undoubtedly become a terrorist state in the heart of the land of Israel,” the official said. “Israel will not cooperate with such moves aimed at harming it and its security.”
The Jordanian foreign ministry stated in Arabic on Saturday that the decision is “a blatant violation of Israel’s obligations as the occupying power.”
The ministry stated on behalf of the delegation that it had “decided to postpone the visit to Ramallah in light of Israel’s obstruction of its mission by refusing the delegation entry through the airspace of the occupied West Bank, which is controlled by Israel.”
“It reflects the extent of the Israeli government’s arrogance, its disregard for international law and its continued illegitimate measures and policies that besiege the brotherly Palestinian people and their legitimate leadership, perpetuate the occupation and undermine the chances of achieving a just and comprehensive peace,” the ministry added.
There is a growing push to recognize a Palestinian state amidst the Israel-Hamas war, and Saudi Arabia and France plan to co-sponsor a two-state solution conference at the United Nations in mid-June.
