CNN
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Saudi Arabia will send top diplomats to the Jordan River this weekend, Palestinian officials said The highest level of visit to the region since Israel took over the country in 1967.
Hussein al-Sheikh, vice president of the Palestinian Authority (PA), said a delegation of Arab ministers led by Saudi Arabian Arab Minister Prince Faisal bin Fahan will arrive in the West Bank city of Ramala on Sunday to meet President Mahmoud Abbas.
The visit will come as Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman is seeking international recognition of the Palestinian state as the war in Gaza drags on and the prospects for normalisation of Saudi Arabia become even more distant.
Palestinian ambassador for Saudi Arabia’s Mazen Gonim has told Saudi Arabia’s state-run Al-Ekbarya that the Saudi foreign minister will be joined by top diplomats from Egypt, Jordan and “other countries.”
“The Minister’s visit is seen as a clear message. The Palestinian cause is a central issue for Arabs and Muslims,” Ghonim said.
An Israeli source familiar with the issue told CNN that Israeli authorities had been notified of their visit.
CNN has reached out to the governments of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar for comment.
Shaul Arieli, head of T-Polytography, a think tank studying Israeli-Palestinian conflict, said that since Israel seized its territory in 1967, it will be the first high-level delegation to visit the occupied West Bank.
He told CNN that the visit was “unprecedented” and highlighted the increased support of Saudi Arabia for Palestinian authority that emerged after the start of the war in Gaza.
“It’s a dramatic change,” Arielli said. Since the conflict began, Saudi Arabia has revealed that “according to the 67 borders, it is “ready to support the solution of the two states, support the establishment of the Palestinian state capital in East Jerusalem and to take away the funds of the Palestinian authorities.”
CNN understands that Saudi Arabia is unhappy with Israel’s refusal to end the war in Gaza and is carrying out fierce diplomatic efforts to persuade Western countries to recognize Palestinian states, including the United States. The kingdom is sure that France will be among the states that will do so in June. Riyadh is also working to support Palestinian authority, as he does not see any viable alternatives to his role as political representative of the Palestinian people.
In June, Saudi Arabia will co-chair France with a high-level meeting in New York for a solution for two states that envisage the creation of a Palestinian state next to Israel.
Speaking in Singapore on Friday, Macron said the ultimate recognition of the Palestinian state is “not just a moral obligation, but a political need.”
“What we’re building over the next few weeks is clearly a political response to the crisis (in Gaza). And yes, it’s necessary. In addition to the humanitarian tragedy of today, it’s the possibility of a Palestinian state being questioned,” he said.
He warned that Israel has “hours or days” to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza or to improve the “severe” European stance.
Riyadh appointed a non-resident ambassador of Palestinian territory in 2023, weeks before Hamas launched a fatal attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and causing an ongoing war in Gaza. Ambassador Knife Al Sudairi visited the West Bank in September 2023 and presented his qualification to Abbas, the highest level of Saudi Arabia visit in decades at the time.
Historically, two Saudi kings visited Jerusalem, including King Saud in 1954 and King Faisal in 1966.
