Israel has said it will not cooperate with a planned visit to the West Bank by a delegation of Arab foreign ministers, including Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat, as tensions continue to rise over the Gaza war and efforts to advance Palestinian statehood.
Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi foreign minister, was expected to travel to Ramallah on Sunday, according to a diplomatic source — a move that would make him the first Saudi official of his rank to visit the occupied territory.
CNN reported that foreign ministers from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and Turkey were also due to take part in the visit.
However, the trip now faces uncertainty following Israel’s rejection.
The Israeli government controls access to the West Bank and would need to approve the visit.
In February, Israel blocked a European Union delegation from entering the territory for a similar diplomatic mission.
If it proceeds, the visit would be the first of its kind since Israel occupied the West Bank following the 1967 Six-Day War.
Saudi Arabia had previously sent a lower-level delegation to Ramallah in September 2023 — the first in over five decades — just weeks before the October 7 Hamas attacks that triggered the current Gaza conflict.
The announcement of the visit came shortly after Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant pledged to establish a “Jewish Israeli state” in the West Bank, following news that Israel plans to build 22 new settlements in the territory.
An Israeli official on Saturday criticised the planned meeting, describing it as “provocative” and accusing the Palestinian Authority of attempting to legitimise the creation of a Palestinian state.
“The Palestinian Authority – which to this day refuses to condemn the October 7 massacre – intended to host in Ramallah a provocative meeting of foreign ministers from Arab countries to discuss the promotion of the establishment of a Palestinian state,” the official said.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas had previously stated, in October 2023, that the Hamas attacks “do not represent the Palestinian people.”
The Israeli official added that such a state “would undoubtedly become a terrorist state in the heart of the Land of Israel,” echoing sentiments expressed by members of the government who argue that a Palestinian state would pose a security threat.
The developments come ahead of a planned international conference co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France at the United Nations headquarters in June, which aims to revive the two-state solution. France has not yet recognised Palestine as a state.
Saudi Arabia was reportedly close to recognising Israel before the Gaza war began. During a recent visit to Riyadh, former US President Donald Trump described normalisation between the two nations as his “fervent hope and wish.”
However, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has said his country will not recognise Israel unless an independent Palestinian state is first established.
Under international law, all Israeli settlements in the West Bank are considered illegal. Despite this, Israel has accelerated their construction during the war, drawing widespread international criticism.
Most countries around the world now recognise Palestine as a state, though many in the West do not. In May 2024, Ireland and several other European nations formally recognised Palestinian statehood, prompting sharp rebukes from the Israeli government.
