The foreign ministers of Arab countries who had planned to visit the West Bank over the weekend condemned on Saturday Israel’s decision to block their trip.
The ministers panned “Israel’s decision to ban the delegation’s visit to Ramallah [on Sunday] to meet with the president of the State of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas,” the Jordanian foreign ministry said.
Ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates had been expected to take part alongside Turkey, according to the statement.
The joint statement from the ministers said the decision to block the visit “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.”
The ministers added that Israel was seeking to perpetuate “the occupation and undermine the chances of achieving a just and comprehensive peace.”
Israel decided to block the delegation of Middle Eastern foreign ministers, led by Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat, from making a landmark visit to the West Bank. A senior Israeli official told The Times of Israel that the PA was planning to use the delegation’s visit to “promote the establishment of a Palestinian state.”
“Israel will not cooperate with moves designed to harm it and its security,” the Israeli official asserted, claiming that a Palestinian state would become “a terrorist state in the heart of the Land of Israel.”
Since Israel controls the borders of the West Bank, its approval was required for the ministers to enter the territory.
The visit by Prince Faisal bin Farhan was supposed to be the first by a Saudi foreign minister since Israel took over the West Bank in 1967. The ministers were supposed to arrive in Ramallah via helicopters from Jordan, a source familiar with the matter said.
The Israeli entry ban is likely to further strain Israel’s relations with its Arab neighbors, which have already deteriorated significantly since the outbreak of the Gaza war.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally supported the trip, which was also intended to show support for the embattled PA, according to the Axios news site.
The Israeli decision is likely to further distance efforts to secure a normalization deal between Jerusalem and Riyadh. Israeli officials have claimed that an agreement is possible, downplaying repeated Saudi assertions that it won’t happen absent an Israeli acquiescence to creating a pathway for a future Palestinian state.