31-05-2025
Why did Israel block Arab foreign ministers from entering Ramallah?
ALBAWABA - Tensions over the rising international backing for Palestinian independence have escalated when Tel Aviv said it would block a scheduled diplomatic summit in Ramallah.
The move follows rumors that a number of Arab foreign ministers were getting ready to go to the city in the occupied West Bank for high-level negotiations with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates were to be part of the visiting team, Palestinian authorities said. Originally set for Sunday, the conference was called into question when Israeli officials declined to provide the travel permits needed to enter the West Bank from Jordan.
According to a Palestinian source quoted by CNN, the group was anticipated to be led by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan. If it had happened, it would have been the first time a senior Saudi official has visited the West Bank since Israel took over the territory in 1967.
The planned event was denounced by an Israeli official as a 'provocative' attempt to encourage the establishment of a Palestinian state, which he said would turn into 'a terrorist state in the heart of the Land of Israel." Israel "will not cooperate with actions that harm its security or sovereignty," the source said.
قال مسؤولون إسرائيليون، الجمعة، إنّ تل أبيب منعت وزراء خارجية عرب، من الوصول إلى مدينة رام الله وسط الضفة الغربية المحتلة، كانوا يعتزمون مناقشة تعزيز إقامة دولة فلسطينية، الأحد المقبل.
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