Israel has decided to block a delegation of Middle Eastern foreign ministers led by Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat from making a landmark visit to the West Bank on Sunday, a senior Israeli official confirms to The Times of Israel.
The foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and Turkey were slated to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Sunday.
The senior Israeli official says the PA was planning to host a meeting aimed “at promoting the establishment of a Palestinian state.”
Saudi Arabia and France are cohosting a conference at the UN next month aimed at advancing a two-state solution, and Paris is weighing whether or not it will use the platform to recognize a Palestinian state.
“Israel will not cooperate with moves designed to harm it and its security,” the Israeli official asserts.
The move is likely to further strain Israel’s relations with regional Arab states, which have already deteriorated significantly since the outbreak of the Gaza war.
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