On May 31, Israel said in would not allow a planned meeting on June 1 that would have included ministers from Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Palestinian Authority official. The Arab contact group was set to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah. 

An Israeli official said the ministers intended to take part in a “provocative meeting” to discuss promoting the establishment of a Palestinian state and Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said blocking the trip was another example of how Israel was “killing any chance of a just and comprehensive” Arab-Israeli peace settlement.

MK Ayman Odeh during the May Day demonstration in Nazareth, 2025 (Photo: Al-Ittihad)

Commenting on blocking the visit, Hadash lawmaker Ayman Odeh said the Arab foreign ministers’ delegation aimed to end the Gaza war, enhance the Palestinian Authority’s role, and support a Saudi-French UN initiative to set up a road map for a Palestinian state. MK Odeh told Saudi state-owned Al Arabiya TV that the Saudi-French initiative could lead to broader international recognition of a Palestinian state, a move he said contradicts Israeli government policy. According to Odeh, the Israeli far-right government seeks to undermine the Palestinian Authority because it as the “nucleus of the future Palestinian state.” He said Israel blocked the Arab foreign ministers’ visit because it could have helped strengthen the Palestinian Authority.

An international conference, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, is due to be held in New York from June 17 to 20 to discuss the issue of Palestinian statehood. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said the conference would cover security arrangements after a ceasefire in Gaza and reconstruction plans to ensure Palestinians would remain on their land and foil any Israeli plans to evict them.

Related: https://maki.org.il/en/?p=32711