Israel blocks Saudi-led delegation from visiting Palestinian Authority
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Israel objects to a summit planned by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (L) and French President Emmanuel Macron. Photo: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
Israel decided to block a visit planned for Sunday by the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and Turkey to the Palestinian Authority, a senior Israeli official said in a briefing with reporters.
Why it matters: The highly unusual decision will further exacerbate the tensions tensions between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and Israel's Arab neighbors.
- President Trump made bringing Saudi Arabia and other countries into the Abraham Accords with Israel a top foreign policy goal. Israel's move shows how far off that is.
- The diplomatic dispute underscores how isolated Israel has become internationally after 19 months of war in Gaza.
Driving the news: Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan organized the visit of Arab and Muslim foreign ministers to Ramallah as part of a Saudi diplomatic initiative to push for international recognition of a Palestinian state.
- Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman personally supported the trip, which was also intended to show support for the embattled Palestinian Authority.
- The delegation was to arrive on Sunday in two helicopters from Jordan and meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, Palestinian officials said.
- In order to enter the occupied West Bank, the delegation needed approval from the Israeli government.
- The Israeli government debated the issue and decided on Friday to block it.
What they're saying: A senior Israeli official told reporters that the Palestinian Authority intended to host "a defiant meeting" of Arab foreign ministers for a discussion aimed at promoting the establishment of a Palestinian state.
- "Such a state would certainly become a terrorist state in the heart of the Land of Israel. Israel will not cooperate with moves designed to harm it and its security. The Palestinian Authority must stop violating its agreements with Israel on all levels," the Israeli official said.
Between the lines: In mid-June, Saudi Arabia and France will hold an international conference at UN headquarters in New York in support of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
- France and Saudi Arabia have been pushing countries to recognize a Palestinian state in conjunction with the conference.
- Blocking the Arab delegation is a signal of opposition from the Israeli government toward this initiative.
State of play: Israel's relations with many Arab countries have been deteriorating since the current right-wing government assumed office in Dec. 2022, and in particular as the death toll and humanitarian crisis in Gaza have grown.
- Earlier this week, the UAE summoned Israel's ambassador to its foreign ministry for an unusual dressing down.
- An Emirati official told Axios the meeting was "extremely tough" and the ambassador was given angry messages to send back to Netanyahu.
- "You know you have a problem when the UAE calls you into the principal's office. It's not because you were tardy to class," the Emirati official said.
The big picture: The Netanyahu government is vehemently opposed to an independent Palestinian state and has taken numerous step over the last two years to deepen its occupation of the West Bank.
- The government has approved thousands of new housing units in the West Bank settlements in recent weeks, and recently approved the establishment of 22 new settlements.
- Violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank has been ongoing, with the Israeli government taking very little action to prevent it. Some members of the Israeli government give political backing to settlers involved in such attacks.
