Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Crown Prince Faisal bin Farhan will lead a ministerial delegation to Ramallah in the West Bank this weekend, international media reported Friday.

Later on Friday night, Walla, citing senior political officials, reported that Israel would block the entry of the Arab foreign ministers’ delegation.

“The Palestinian Authority – which to this day refuses to condemn the October 7 massacre – intended to host in Ramallah a provocative meeting of Arab foreign ministers to discuss advancing the establishment of a Palestinian state,” a senior political source told N12 news site.

“Such a state would inevitably become a terror state in the heart of the Land of Israel. Israel will not cooperate with moves designed to harm it and its security. The Palestinian Authority must cease violating its agreements with Israel on all levels.”

The Crown Prince will potentially meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Diplomats from Egypt, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates are supposed to attend. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meets with the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, during the emergency Arab summit organised by Egypt, in Cairo, March 4, 2025. (credit: Palestinian President Office/Handout via REUTERS)

If the visit occurs, it will be the highest-level Saudi visit to the West Bank since 1967.

The trip comes as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is pushing for international recognition of a Palestinian state and amid the prospect of Saudi-Israeli normalization.

Representatives from each respective delegation have not commented on Israel’s reported plans to block the group visit.

Saudi Arabia wants to disarm Hamas

Saudi Arabia has been working on a proposal to disarm Hamas terrorists in collaboration with France, paving the way for its demobilization, according to reports this month from Bloomberg.

Saudi officials have reportedly been in contact with Hamas leadership as part of the efforts, the sources stated, adding that it is unclear if France has also been in direct contact, especially as the European Union recognizes Hamas as a terror organization.

Abbas recently in Lebanon to discuss disarming Palestinian factions

Abbas travelled to Beirut in May for a three-day visit focusd on the issue of establishing a framework to disarm Palestinian factions within Lebanon.

Since establishing a ceasefire with Israel in November 2024, Lebanon has faced growing pressure from the US to disarm terror groups and unauthorised military infrastructure.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun declared in March, “that 2025 must be the year in which all weapons are brought under state authority.”

Did Hamas attack Israel to prevent Riyadh normalization?

Hamas’s October 7 massacre was aimed at torpedoing the normalization efforts between Israel and Saudi Arabia, The Wall Street Journal reported in May, citing Hamas meeting transcripts found by the IDF.

The WSJ reported that then-Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar, was concerned that US-brokered normalization efforts between Saudi Arabia and Israel would take attention away from advancing the notion of a Palestinian statehood.

A majority of Israelis support normalization with Saudi Arabia and the expansion of the Abraham Accords this year, according to a recent survey conducted by Ipanel on behalf of the Coalition for Regional Security.