A group of Arab foreign ministers has strongly criticised Israel’s decision to block their scheduled visit to the occupied West Bank, where they had planned to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Sunday.
In a statement released by Jordan’s foreign ministry on Saturday, May 31, the ministers from Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates condemned what they called a “ban” imposed by Israel, which effectively derailed their visit. Turkey and the Arab League’s secretary-general were also due to take part in the diplomatic mission.
Israel, which maintains control over the West Bank’s borders and airspace, announced late Friday that it would not cooperate with the visit.
An unnamed Israeli official accused the Palestinian Authority of organising a “provocative” meeting aimed at promoting the creation of a Palestinian state, describing such an entity as a “terrorist state” that would threaten Israel’s security.
Had it proceeded, the visit would have marked a historic moment with Prince Faisal bin Farhan becoming the first Saudi foreign minister to travel to the West Bank.
Tensions are already high following Israel’s announcement this week of 22 new Jewish settlements in the West Bank—moves widely regarded by the United Nations as illegal under international law and a key barrier to a lasting peace agreement.
During a visit to one of the proposed settlement sites on Friday, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz vowed to establish a “Jewish Israeli state” in the Palestinian territories.
He criticised foreign governments that support Palestinian statehood, declaring their efforts “will be thrown into the trash bin of history.”
Despite previous reports suggesting Saudi Arabia was on the verge of recognising Israel before the outbreak of war in Gaza, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has since made it clear that such recognition will not be possible without the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state.
Looking ahead, Saudi Arabia and France are due to jointly chair a high-level conference at the United Nations in June aimed at reviving efforts toward a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
