Arab ministers condemn Israeli ban on planned West Bank visit
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"Israel" has blocked a high-profile delegation of Arab foreign ministers, led by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, from visiting the West Bank.
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Members of the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) patrol a street during a military operation in the West Bank refugee camp of Nur Shams, Tulkarm, on August 29, 2024 (AP)
The foreign ministers of five Arab nations condemned "Israel's" decision to block their planned visit to the occupied West Bank this weekend.
According to a statement from Jordan’s foreign ministry on Saturday, the ministers denounced the occupation's move to prevent the delegation from traveling to Ramallah on Sunday.
Earlier on Friday, a senior Israeli official confirmed to The Times of Israel that "Israel" blocked a high-profile delegation of Arab foreign ministers, led by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, from visiting the West Bank.
The delegation, comprising officials from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey, Egypt, and Jordan, was scheduled to meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Sunday. According to the official, the Palestinian Authority aimed to use the visit to "promote the establishment of a Palestinian state."
This visit would have marked the first of its kind since "Israel" occupied the West Bank in 1967. Sources indicated that the visit was meant to reinforce support for Palestinian statehood and signal Arab solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
The decision to block the visit was reportedly made during a ministerial meeting chaired by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The move is likely to escalate tensions between "Israel" and regional Arab powers, especially as the war on Gaza enters its 20th month.
'Israel' calls plans to visit West Bank 'provocative'
An Israeli official, speaking anonymously, claimed Abbas had planned to host “a provocative meeting” aimed at promoting the creation of a Palestinian state. The official stated that "such a state would undoubtedly become a terrorist state in the heart of the Land of Israel" and asserted that "Israel will not cooperate with such moves aimed at harming it and its security."
Israeli media reported days ago that the Israeli Security Cabinet has secretly approved the establishment of 22 illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
According to Ynet, the Cabinet “secretly approved two weeks ago the establishment of 22 settlements in Judea and Samaria."
The decision, which was reportedly made two weeks ago, includes plans to re-establish the illegal settlements of Homesh and Sa-Nur, both dismantled during the 2005 unilateral “disengagement plan” from the Gaza Strip.
During a visit to one of the new settlement sites on Friday, Security Minister Israel Katz promised to construct a "Jewish Israeli state" in Palestinian land.
Criticizing foreign nations that might recognize Palestine, he declared that the paper would be "thrown into the trash bin of history," while the occupation will "flourish and prosper."
In June, Saudi Arabia and France are set to co-host an international conference at the United Nations aimed at reviving the "two-state solution".
