RIYADH — The foreign ministers of five Arab countries who had planned to visit the occupied West Bank this weekend condemned on Saturday Israel's decision to block their plans. The ministers condemned "Israel's decision to ban the delegation's visit to Ramallah on Sunday to meet with Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas," the Jordanian foreign ministry said. Ministers from Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had been expected to take part alongside Turkey. Earlier, the Arab delegation planned to visit Ramallah as part of the mission of the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee seeking to halt the war in the Gaza Strip, secure the entry of aid, and find a political horizon to end the Israeli occupation. The visit was planned following the last meeting of the committee in Madrid during which it discussed developments in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. They stressed the importance of implementing the two-state solution based on relevant international resolutions, ensuring the Palestinian people's right to establish an independent state on the June 4, 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Meanwhile, Dr. Riyad Mansour, Palestinian representative to the United Nations, said that Saudi Arabia will take important steps regarding the recognition of the Palestinian state, while simultaneously anticipating, through the diplomatic street program, the recognition of the Palestinian state by 10 Western countries. At the same time, the Arab Ministerial Committee's actions are consistent with the beginning of preparations to mobilize recognition of Palestine through the conference on Palestine, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France in June. The conference is scheduled to be held in New York. The majority of UN member states, as well as observer states from other countries and regional blocs, have expressed their full support for the efforts made by the Kingdom and France to hold the conference. They affirmed their support for the two-state solution as the only internationally agreed-upon option. They also emphasized the importance of achieving practical results, including recognition of the State of Palestine, rejection of all attempts at annexation and forced displacement, and the need to support the Palestinian government and UNRWA.
