Israel blocks visit of Saudi and Arab foreign ministers to Ramallah

Jerusalem: Israel has decided to deny entry to the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, and Turkey, preventing their planned visit to the Palestinian city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

According to diplomatic sources, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan was scheduled to lead a high-level Arab delegation to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday. The visit would have marked the first by a Saudi foreign minister to the West Bank since Israel’s occupation in 1967.

Israeli media report that the government will not allow the visit, fearing that the Palestinian Authority aims to use the meeting to rally international support for the recognition of a Palestinian state. Israeli officials have reiterated their firm opposition to any such recognition.

This development comes amid growing tensions, as Israel recently signalled its intent to declare parts of the West Bank as part of a “Jewish state.”