The Voice News: Due to obstruction by the occupying Israeli authorities, foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia and five other Arab countries were unable to travel to the occupied West Bank of Palestine. The ministers from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey, Egypt, and Jordan were scheduled to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Sunday, June 1. The Saudi delegation was expected to lead the meeting.
The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the cancellation in a statement on Saturday, stating that the meeting had to be called off because Israel denied permission to use the airspace over the occupied West Bank. The statement described this act as a reflection of the Israeli government’s audacity.
Earlier, an Israeli official told Reuters that they would not allow a meeting of Arab foreign ministers to take place in the West Bank, fearing it would support the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
According to a source cited by the Times of Israel, if Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan had visited the West Bank on Sunday, it would have marked the first visit by a Saudi foreign minister since 1967, the year Israel occupied the West Bank following the Arab-Israeli war.
The source further reported that the Arab ministers were supposed to fly from Jordan to Ramallah by helicopter. However, Israel imposed restrictions on the use of its airspace, effectively preventing the visit.
Last Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a cabinet meeting where it was decided that the Arab ministers’ meeting would not be allowed to take place.
