Saudi Arabia accuses Israel of extremism after historic West Bank visit blocked

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister has accused Israel of "extremism" after it blocked a high-level delegation of foreign ministers from visiting the occupied West Bank. 

Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud spoke out during a press conference in the Jordanian capital, alongside the foreign ministers of Jordan, Egypt and Bahrain. 

Ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, the UAE and Qatar were scheduled to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Sunday.

However, the visit was postponed after Israeli authorities warned late on Friday that they would deny the ministers entry.

As the occupying power controlling the West Bank's boundary with Jordan, Israel's approval was required for the delegation to travel.

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"Israel's refusal of the committee's visit to the West Bank embodies and confirms its extremism and refusal of any serious attempts for [a] peaceful pathway .. It strengthens our will to double our diplomatic efforts within the international community to face this arrogance," the Saudi foreign minister said.

The visit was set to be the highest level Saudi official delegation to the West Bank in six decades. 

An Israeli official said that Israel decided to "not cooperate" with the visit. 

"The Palestinian Authority – which to this day refuses to condemn the October 7 massacre – intended to host in Ramallah a provocative meeting of foreign ministers from Arab countries to discuss the promotion of the establishment of a Palestinian state," the official said.

Ayman Safadi, Jordan's foreign minister, said the decision was yet another example of Israel "killing any chance of a just and comprehensive" settlement between Israel and Palestine. 

Later this month, an international conference is set to take place in New York - co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia - to discuss Palestinian statehood. 

Badr Abdelatty, Egypt's foreign minister, said the conference would cover security in Gaza after a ceasefire is agreed, reconstruction plans to ensure Palestinians remain on their land, and foil any Israeli plans to ethnically cleanse them.

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