Saudi Foreign Minister to visit occupied West Bank in rare step

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: CNN
30 May 2025 21:46

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan will visit the occupied West Bank in a rare move, leading an Arab delegation to support Palestine amid "Israel"'s ongoing war on Gaza and push forward the "two-state solution."

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Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud attends a meeting at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Paris, Friday, 23 May 2025. (AP)

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan is set to make a visit to the occupied West Bank, as reported by CNN and confirmed by Palestinian officials.

The visit is expected to take place on Sunday and will include a high-level meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the city of Ramallah.

According to Palestinian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Mazen Ghoneim, the delegation will include senior diplomats from Egypt, Jordan, and other Arab states, marking a significant regional effort to reaffirm political backing for Palestine.

Highest-level visit since 1967

This will be the most senior Arab diplomatic visit to the West Bank since "Israel" occupied the territory in 1967. Palestinian officials, including Hussein al-Sheikh, the deputy head of the Palestinian Authority, confirmed the visit and emphasized its symbolic and strategic weight.

Shaul Arieli, head of the Israeli think tank T-Politography, described the move as "unprecedented since 1967," noting that it represents a major shift in Saudi policy and heightened support for the Palestinian Authority since the outbreak of the Israeli war on Gaza.

Unified Arab message

Ambassador Ghoneim stated that the visit sends a clear message: "The Palestinian cause remains central to Arabs and Muslims." He stressed the importance of Arab political support at this critical juncture, especially in the face of ongoing violence and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.

CNN also quoted an Israeli source confirming that authorities had been notified of the upcoming diplomatic mission.

Saudi push for 'two-state solution'

The visit aligns with Saudi Arabia’s broader diplomatic push to reinvigorate the two-state solution. Frustrated with "Israel’s" refusal to halt its war on Gaza, Riyadh is intensifying its efforts to secure Western recognition of a Palestinian state. According to CNN, France is expected to support this initiative in June.

Saudi Arabia has also doubled down on its backing for the Palestinian Authority, which it sees as the only viable political representative of the Palestinian people. As part of this push, Saudi Arabia is set to co-host an international conference in New York with France next month, aimed at advancing the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

On September 18, 2024, during the opening session of the Shura Council's ninth term, MBS made clear that Saudi Arabia would not establish diplomatic relations with "Israel" without the fulfillment of Palestinian rights, including the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, the Foreign Ministry revealed.