Israel to block rare Saudi-led ministerial delegation from visiting West Bank: Report
Israel says it will not allow an Arab ministerial delegation led by Saudi Arabia to visit the occupied West Bank, according to a report.
An Israeli official told CNN on Friday that the Zionist regime will “not cooperate” with plans from the Palestinian Authority (PA) to host the Saudi-led delegation.
The Israeli official claimed that the meeting is “provocative” and said that “Israel will not cooperate with such moves aimed at harming it and its security.”
Ministers from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, and Turkey led by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan were planned to arrive in Ramallah on Sunday to meet PA President Mahmoud Abbas, according to Hussein Al-Sheikh, vice president of the PA.
It would have been the highest-level Saudi visit to the area since it was occupied by Israel in 1967.
Palestinian ambassador to Saudi Arabia Mazen Ghoneim told Saudi state-run media that “The ministerial visit… is considered a clear message. The Palestinian cause is a central issue to Arabs and Muslims.”
The visit would come as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman pushes for international recognition of Palestinian statehood as the Israeli genocidal war on Gaza drags on for 603 days, resulting in the deaths of more than 53,000 Palestinians.
Bin Salman has made efforts to convince Western states, particularly the US, to recognize Palestinian statehood. The kingdom is confident that France will be among the states that will do so in June.
