Israel refuses to cooperate with planned Saudi-led diplomatic visit to Ramallah: CNN

New Delhi, May 31: Israel has said it will not cooperate with a planned Saudi-led delegation of Arab foreign ministers to the West Bank city of Ramallah, CNN reported, citing an Israeli official. The visit, organised by the Palestinian Authority (PA), would have marked the highest-level Saudi diplomatic mission to the territory since 1967. Ministers from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, and Turkey were scheduled to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Sunday. Entry to the West Bank requires Israeli approval, which was denied.

An Israeli official told CNN the meeting was viewed as “provocative,” and that “Israel will not cooperate with such moves aimed at harming it and its security.” The official also accused the PA of violating bilateral agreements, though did not specify which ones.

CNN also quoted a Saudi source confirming that Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan had postponed his planned trip. PA official Hussein Al-Sheikh had earlier told CNN that the Arab delegation, led by Prince Faisal, was due to arrive Sunday to show support for Palestinian statehood amid the ongoing war in Gaza and stalled Saudi-Israeli normalisation talks. Palestinian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Mazen Ghoneim told Saudi state media the visit was a “clear message” that the Palestinian cause remains central to the Arab world. Israeli authorities had been informed of the visit in advance. The development comes ahead of a planned high-level international conference on a two-state solution, to be co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France in New York next month. French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking in Singapore on Friday, called recognition of Palestinian statehood a “political necessity” and warned Israel it had only “hours or days” to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza before facing tougher European action.