Israel blocks Saudi, UAE and other FMs from West Bank visit: What to know
The move to block the visit comes amid heightened international pressure on Israel to end its military offensive in Gaza and make progress toward Palestinian statehood, a key condition for normalization with Riyadh.
Israel has blocked a planned trip by Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister and other regional diplomats to the occupied West Bank this weekend, according to reports on Friday — a move that could exacerbate tensions over the Gaza war.
What happened: Axios’ Barak Ravid reported Friday, citing a senior Israeli official, that Israel blocked a planned Sunday visit by the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, and Turkey to Palestinian territory.
The Times of Israel reported that Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan was due to lead the delegation before it was blocked. They were scheduled to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday, according to the outlet.
Al-Monitor has reached out to Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry, the Palestinian Authority and the countries involved for comment.
