Quds News Network

Occupied West Bank (Quds News Network)- Foreign ministers of five Arab countries have condemned Israel’s “arrogant” decision to block their planned visit to the occupied West Bank. Ministers from Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were expected to take part in the meeting alongside Turkey this weekend. However, Israel late on Friday said it will not allow the meeting of Arab foreign ministers, who would have required Israeli consent to travel to the occupied West Bank from Jordan because Israel controls the Palestinian territory’s borders and airspace. “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,” an Israeli official said late on Friday. “Israel will not cooperate with such moves aimed at harming it and its security.” The Jordanian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday that the ministers condemned “Israel’s decision to ban the delegation’s visit to Ramallah [on Sunday] to meet with the president of the State of Palestine, Mahmud Abbas.” In a post on X, Hussein Al Sheikh, the deputy chair of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), said Israel’s decision is a “dangerous escalation that reflects arrogant, provocative, and unprecedented behavior”. “We are examining, along with our Arab brothers, how to respond to this decision,” he wrote. A Saudi source told Reuters that Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud had delayed a planned trip to the West Bank. About two weeks ago, Israeli forces opened fire near a diplomatic convoy near Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, triggering an international outcry. The convoy included diplomats from the European Union, the United Kingdom, Russia and China. The Israeli military claimed its soldiers fired “warning shots” after the group deviated from an agreed-upon route. The Israeli move to ban the Arab ministers came ahead of an international conference, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, due to be held in New York on June 17-20 to discuss the issue of Palestinian statehood. On Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that recognising a Palestinian state was not only a “moral duty but a political necessity”.

Arab Foreign Ministers Condemn Israel’s “Arrogant” Ban on Planned Visit to Occupied West Bank

Also Read

Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian Teenager Who Posed No Threat in Occupied West Bank Raid

Three, Including Two Civil Defense Workers, killed in Israeli Attack on Vehicle in Central Gaza

Haaretz Reveals Israeli Soldiers Loot Vast Amounts of Civilian Property From Southern Lebanon