Daijiworld Media Network – Amman
Amman, Jun 2: Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud has slammed Israel for blocking a planned visit by Arab ministers to the occupied West Bank, calling it a sign of “extremism and rejection of peace.”
Speaking in Amman alongside his Jordanian, Egyptian, and Bahraini counterparts, Prince Faisal said the move “confirms Israel’s refusal of any serious peace efforts” and vowed to intensify diplomatic action against such ‘arrogance.’
The Arab contact group was set to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah. The delegation, including officials from Qatar and the UAE, was denied entry by Israel, reportedly due to concerns the meeting would promote Palestinian statehood.
Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said Israel was “killing any chance” of a just peace, while Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said the upcoming Saudi-French conference in New York (June 17–20) would address Gaza’s reconstruction and future Palestinian statehood.
Israeli Arab lawmaker Ayman Odeh said Israel fears the delegation would have bolstered the Palestinian Authority and the push for statehood, which contradicts the current Israeli government’s stance.
The incident comes amid growing international calls for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.