Israel bans rare Saudi-led Arab foreign ministers’ West Bank visit

Israel has blocked a planned visit by senior Arab and Islamic foreign ministers to the West Bank, citing concerns over the Palestinian Authority’s intentions to use the event to promote statehood. The decision, confirmed by both Palestinian and Jordanian officials, prevented what would have been a rare high-level diplomatic mission to Ramallah scheduled for Sunday, and has drawn sharp criticism from Palestinian leaders.

 

The delegation, which included Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and officials from Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain, was scheduled to arrive in the West Bank city of Ramallah via helicopters from Jordan. The visit, coordinated with the Palestinian Authority (PA), was intended to demonstrate political backing for the PA and to discuss upcoming diplomatic initiatives, including a France-Saudi Arabia-led conference at the United Nations in New York on June 17.

 

According to Jordan’s foreign ministry, the Israeli government denied the necessary entry permits for the ministers, effectively cancelling the visit. Israel controls all crossings into the occupied West Bank, meaning its approval is required for any foreign delegation to enter the territory.

 

A senior Israeli official said the Palestinian Authority was planning to use the visit to advocate for the establishment of a Palestinian state. The official stated that Israel would not “cooperate with moves designed to harm it and its security,” and described the potential creation of a Palestinian state as a threat. The Israeli government declined to comment officially on the decision.

 

The visit by Prince Faisal would have been the first by a Saudi foreign minister to the West Bank since the territory was occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war. Palestinian officials said it was intended to provide political legitimacy to the PA amid wider discussions on the post-war governance of the Gaza Strip.

 

Mahmoud Abbas, the PA president, leads Fatah, a rival faction to Hamas. The PA was ejected from Gaza in 2007 when Hamas took control of the coastal enclave. Since then, the PA has continued to govern parts of the West Bank under Israeli occupation.

 

Approximately 30 lakh Palestinians live in the West Bank, alongside some five lakh Israeli settlers. Israel retains overall control of borders, movement, and security in the area.

 

Palestinian officials condemned the Israeli move. Hussein al-Sheikh, deputy chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation’s Executive Committee, described the decision as “arrogant and provocative” in a post on social media. Ahmed Majdalani, another PLO executive member, said the visit had been postponed but that further consultations with Arab states were underway.

 

The planned delegation visit came ahead of the international conference on Palestinian statehood co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia. France is reportedly considering formal recognition of a Palestinian state, while Riyadh is encouraging other countries to do the same. Palestinian leaders viewed the visit as part of a broader effort to elevate their diplomatic standing and rebuild international momentum behind the two-state solution.

 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly opposed Palestinian statehood, and his government has expanded settlement activity in the West Bank. In recent months, Israel has also tightened military control over the territory, erecting new checkpoints, carrying out regular raids targeting suspected militants, and demolishing buildings in Palestinian towns.

 

According to local health officials in Gaza, more than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war began in October 2023. Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza following the Hamas-led attack that killed approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in southern Israel. The figures from Gaza health authorities do not distinguish between combatants and civilians.

 

The PA has not issued a direct condemnation of the October 7 attack, but has released general statements condemning violence against civilians. In recent weeks, Abbas has called for Hamas to release Israeli hostages, and disarm and relinquish control of Gaza.

 

Israel continues to withhold hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenues it collects on behalf of the PA, citing payments the PA makes to the families of Palestinian prisoners and deceased attackers. In February, Abbas signed a decree reforming this system, ending the linkage of payments to the length of prison sentences.

 

Saudi Arabia has recently increased its financial and political engagement with the PA, including encouraging internal reforms. Hussein al-Sheikh was appointed deputy to Abbas earlier this year, a move understood to be part of these reform efforts.

 

Riyadh’s support for the cancelled West Bank visit signals Saudi Arabia’s interest in bolstering the PA’s legitimacy as a potential governing body in Gaza after the war. However, Israel has opposed any plans to give the PA a governing role in the territory, arguing that it does not represent a reliable security partner.

 

The cancelled visit comes at a time of growing international scrutiny of Israel’s conduct in both Gaza and the West Bank. Several European countries, including Spain, Norway and Ireland, have formally recognised a Palestinian state in recent weeks. The European Union has announced a review of its trade ties with Israel. The United Kingdom has paused talks on upgrading its own trade deal. France and Germany have also raised concerns over the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

 

Even the United States, traditionally Israel’s closest ally, has called for the conflict to wind down. President Donald Trump recently urged an end to the war and said that Palestinians in Gaza were “starving,” prompting Israel to ease some restrictions on aid.

 

Earlier last week, the United Arab Emirates summoned Israel’s ambassador for a formal protest after Israeli authorities allowed a far right rally to proceed in East Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount, despite public incitement at the event.

 

Speaking in Singapore on May 30, French President Emmanuel Macron said that recognising a Palestinian state is “not only a moral duty, but a political necessity.” “What we are building over the coming weeks is obviously a political response to the crisis in Gaza,” he said. “And yes, it’s a necessity. Because today, over and above the current humanitarian tragedy, it is the very possibility of a Palestinian state that is being questioned.”

Middle East