Saudi Arabia presents first ambassador to Palestine while receiving first official Israeli official

WORLD  27 September 2023 - 06:57

Nayef al-Sudairi, the first Saudi ambassador to Palestine, has presented his credentials to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on September 26.

As reported by Al Jazeera, Al-Sudairi and his delegation arrived in the West Bank through the Karama crossing from Jordan for an official two-day visit.

Last August, al-Sudairi, who currently serves as Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Jordan, was appointed as a non-resident envoy to Palestine and consul general in Jerusalem. However, Israel rejected the idea of establishing a Saudi consulate in Jerusalem at that time, stating that while al-Sudairi could meet with Palestinian Authority representatives in Jerusalem, he would not have a permanent presence there.

The appointment of a Saudi ambassador to Palestine is noteworthy in light of reports suggesting that Saudi Arabia is considering official diplomatic relations with Israel under pressure from the United States despite Riyadh having consistently stated its commitment to the Arab League's position of not establishing relations with Israel until the Palestinian crisis is resolved.

At the same time, the Israeli Tourism minister has recently traveled to Saudi Arabia, making it the first visit of an Israeli cabinet member to the Gulf Kingdom. Minister Haim Katz is to attend a UN World Tourism conference in Riyadh.

Caliber.Az