Latest news with #Saudi-Israeli
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Saudi foreign minister to make rare visit to West Bank, Palestinians say, as anger over Gaza grows
Saudi Arabia will send its top diplomat to the West Bank this weekend, Palestinian officials said, in what would be the highest-level Saudi visit to the area since it was occupied by Israel in 1967. Hussein Al-Sheikh, vice president of the Palestinian Authority (PA), told CNN that an Arab ministerial delegation led by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan will arrive in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Sunday to meet PA President Mahmoud Abbas. The visit would come as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman pushes for international recognition of Palestinian statehood as the war in Gaza drags on and as prospects of Saudi-Israeli normalization grow more distant. Palestinian ambassador to Saudi Arabia Mazen Ghoneim told Saudi state-run Al Ekhbariya that the Saudi foreign minister would be joined by the top diplomats from Egypt, Jordan and 'other countries.' 'The ministerial visit… is considered a clear message. The Palestinian cause is a central issue to Arabs and Muslims,' Ghoneim said. An Israeli source familiar with the matter told CNN that Israeli authorities were notified of the visit. CNN has reached out to the governments of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE and Qatar for comment. Shaul Arieli, the head of T-Politography, a think tank which studies the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, said it would be the first such high-level delegation to visit the occupied West Bank since Israel seized the territory in 1967. He told CNN the visit would be 'unprecedented' and underscores a rise in Saudi support for the Palestinian Authority that emerged after the start of the war in Gaza. 'It's a dramatic change,' Arieli said. The Saudis have made clear since the conflict began that 'they support the two-state solution according to '67 borders, they support the establishment of the capital of a Palestinian state in East Jerusalem, and they are ready tosupport the budget of the Palestinian Authority.' CNN understands that Saudi Arabia is frustrated at Israel's refusal to end the war in Gaza and is exerting intense diplomatic efforts to convince Western states to recognize Palestinian statehood, including the United States. The kingdom is confident that France will be among the states that will do so in June. Riyadh is also working to prop up the Palestinian Authority as it sees no viable alternative to its role as the political representative of the Palestinian people. In June, Saudi Arabia is expected to co-chair with France a high-level conference in New York for a two-state solution, which envisions the creation of a Palestinian state beside Israel. Speaking in Singapore on Friday, Macron said the eventual recognition of a Palestinian state, was 'not only a moral duty, but a political necessity.' 'What we are building over the coming weeks is obviously a political response to the crisis (in Gaza). And yes, it's a necessity. Because today, over and above the current humanitarian tragedy, it is the very possibility of a Palestinian state that is being questioned.' he said. He warned that Israel has 'hours or days' to improve humanitarian situation in Gaza or face 'tougher' European stance. Riyadh appointed a non-resident ambassador to the Palestinian territories in 2023, weeks before Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israel that left 1,200 people dead and triggered the ongoing war in Gaza. The ambassador, Nayef Al Sudairi visited the West Bank in September 2023 to present his credentials to Abbas in what was the highest-level official Saudi visit in decades at the time. Historically, two Saudi kings have visited Jerusalem, including King Saud in 1954, and King Faisal in 1966. CNN's Tamar Michaelis, Eyad Kourdi, Angus Watson and Martin Goillandeau contributed to this report.
CNN
3 days ago
- Business
- CNN
Saudi foreign minister to make rare visit to West Bank, Palestinians say, as anger over Gaza grows
Saudi Arabia will send its top diplomat to the West Bank this weekend, Palestinian officials said, in what would be the highest-level Saudi visit to the area since it was occupied by Israel in 1967. Hussein Al-Sheikh, vice president of the Palestinian Authority (PA), told CNN that an Arab ministerial delegation led by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan will arrive in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Sunday to meet PA President Mahmoud Abbas. The visit would come as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman pushes for international recognition of Palestinian statehood as the war in Gaza drags on and as prospects of Saudi-Israeli normalization grow more distant. Palestinian ambassador to Saudi Arabia Mazen Ghoneim told Saudi state-run Al Ekhbariya that the Saudi foreign minister would be joined by the top diplomats from Egypt, Jordan and 'other countries.' 'The ministerial visit… is considered a clear message. The Palestinian cause is a central issue to Arabs and Muslims,' Ghoneim said. An Israeli source familiar with the matter told CNN that Israeli authorities were notified of the visit. CNN has reached out to the governments of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE and Qatar for comment. Shaul Arieli, the head of T-Politography, a think tank which studies the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, said it would be the first such high-level delegation to visit the occupied West Bank since Israel seized the territory in 1967. He told CNN the visit would be 'unprecedented' and underscores a rise in Saudi support for the Palestinian Authority that emerged after the start of the war in Gaza. 'It's a dramatic change,' Arieli said. The Saudis have made clear since the conflict began that 'they support the two-state solution according to '67 borders, they support the establishment of the capital of a Palestinian state in East Jerusalem, and they are ready tosupport the budget of the Palestinian Authority.' CNN understands that Saudi Arabia is frustrated at Israel's refusal to end the war in Gaza and is exerting intense diplomatic efforts to convince Western states to recognize Palestinian statehood, including the United States. The kingdom is confident that France will be among the states that will do so in June. Riyadh is also working to prop up the Palestinian Authority as it sees no viable alternative to its role as the political representative of the Palestinian people. In June, Saudi Arabia is expected to co-chair with France a high-level conference in New York for a two-state solution, which envisions the creation of a Palestinian state beside Israel. Speaking in Singapore on Friday, Macron said the eventual recognition of a Palestinian state, was 'not only a moral duty, but a political necessity.' 'What we are building over the coming weeks is obviously a political response to the crisis (in Gaza). And yes, it's a necessity. Because today, over and above the current humanitarian tragedy, it is the very possibility of a Palestinian state that is being questioned.' he said. He warned that Israel has 'hours or days' to improve humanitarian situation in Gaza or face 'tougher' European stance. Riyadh appointed a non-resident ambassador to the Palestinian territories in 2023, weeks before Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israel that left 1,200 people dead and triggered the ongoing war in Gaza. The ambassador, Nayef Al Sudairi visited the West Bank in September 2023 to present his credentials to Abbas in what was the highest-level official Saudi visit in decades at the time. Historically, two Saudi kings have visited Jerusalem, including King Saud in 1954, and King Faisal in 1966. CNN's Tamar Michaelis, Eyad Kourdi, Angus Watson and Martin Goillandeau contributed to this report.
CNN
3 days ago
- Business
- CNN
Saudi foreign minister to make rare visit to West Bank, Palestinians say, as anger over Gaza grows
Saudi Arabia will send its top diplomat to the West Bank this weekend, Palestinian officials said, in what would be the highest-level Saudi visit to the area since it was occupied by Israel in 1967. Hussein Al-Sheikh, vice president of the Palestinian Authority (PA), told CNN that an Arab ministerial delegation led by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan will arrive in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Sunday to meet PA President Mahmoud Abbas. The visit would come as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman pushes for international recognition of Palestinian statehood as the war in Gaza drags on and as prospects of Saudi-Israeli normalization grow more distant. Palestinian ambassador to Saudi Arabia Mazen Ghoneim told Saudi state-run Al Ekhbariya that the Saudi foreign minister would be joined by the top diplomats from Egypt, Jordan and 'other countries.' 'The ministerial visit… is considered a clear message. The Palestinian cause is a central issue to Arabs and Muslims,' Ghoneim said. An Israeli source familiar with the matter told CNN that Israeli authorities were notified of the visit. CNN has reached out to the governments of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE and Qatar for comment. Shaul Arieli, the head of T-Politography, a think tank which studies the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, said it would be the first such high-level delegation to visit the occupied West Bank since Israel seized the territory in 1967. He told CNN the visit would be 'unprecedented' and underscores a rise in Saudi support for the Palestinian Authority that emerged after the start of the war in Gaza. 'It's a dramatic change,' Arieli said. The Saudis have made clear since the conflict began that 'they support the two-state solution according to '67 borders, they support the establishment of the capital of a Palestinian state in East Jerusalem, and they are ready tosupport the budget of the Palestinian Authority.' CNN understands that Saudi Arabia is frustrated at Israel's refusal to end the war in Gaza and is exerting intense diplomatic efforts to convince Western states to recognize Palestinian statehood, including the United States. The kingdom is confident that France will be among the states that will do so in June. Riyadh is also working to prop up the Palestinian Authority as it sees no viable alternative to its role as the political representative of the Palestinian people. In June, Saudi Arabia is expected to co-chair with France a high-level conference in New York for a two-state solution, which envisions the creation of a Palestinian state beside Israel. Speaking in Singapore on Friday, Macron said the eventual recognition of a Palestinian state, was 'not only a moral duty, but a political necessity.' 'What we are building over the coming weeks is obviously a political response to the crisis (in Gaza). And yes, it's a necessity. Because today, over and above the current humanitarian tragedy, it is the very possibility of a Palestinian state that is being questioned.' he said. He warned that Israel has 'hours or days' to improve humanitarian situation in Gaza or face 'tougher' European stance. Riyadh appointed a non-resident ambassador to the Palestinian territories in 2023, weeks before Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israel that left 1,200 people dead and triggered the ongoing war in Gaza. The ambassador, Nayef Al Sudairi visited the West Bank in September 2023 to present his credentials to Abbas in what was the highest-level official Saudi visit in decades at the time. Historically, two Saudi kings have visited Jerusalem, including King Saud in 1954, and King Faisal in 1966. CNN's Tamar Michaelis, Eyad Kourdi, Angus Watson and Martin Goillandeau contributed to this report.
News18
7 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Hamas Attacked Israel On Oct 7 To Disrupt Its Talk With Saudi, Reveal Tunnel Papers
Last Updated: Former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar believed only an "extraordinary act" could prevent Saudi-Israel talks. As tensions continue to prevail in the Middle East, new documents, allegedly recovered in a tunnel beneath Gaza, have revealed that the Iran-backed militant group Hamas attacked the Jewish nation in order to disrupt its talks Saudi Arabia over normalising ties. The documents were accessed by The Wall Street Journal. The documents further revealed that former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who was killed an in Israeli attack, believed that only an 'extraordinary act" could refrain the two nations from strengthening ties given an Israel-Saudi Arabia deal would turn the tables for political dynamics in the Middle East. Notably, the Gaza-based terror group had launched a deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, while left over 1200 people dead and many held hostages. This attack triggered a retaliatory attacks on Palestinians, which has so far claimed lives of more than 53,000 civilians. The records from one of the tunnels in the Hamas underground network also provides a detail of a key meeting of Hamas's leaders just five days prior to the attack. Earlier in 2023, Saudi Arabia, the most powerful Sunni country in the Middle East, was about to sign a deal with Netanyahu-led nation, when the Israel-Hamas tensions escalated and the deal got shelved. Some reports claim that experts suggest that Iran, the biggest Shia power in the Middle East, orchestrated the attack against Isreal. During October 2, 2023, meeting, Sinwar reportedly announced that only a high-impact action could prevent the Saudi-Israeli deal from taking shape. Besides, there was another document, September 2023 Hamas report, that mentioned intensifying unrest in the West Bank and Jerusalem to complicate the Saudi-Israeli negotiations. Another classified Hamas memo from August 2022 underlined rising alarm over a regional push to normalise ties with Israel, suggesting this trend as a direct threat to the Palestinian national struggle. The memo emphasised the need for Hamas to bolster itself strategically, which included enhancing ties with groups like Hezbollah and other Palestinian factions. Oct 7 Attack: Fresh Documents Indicate Iran-Hamas Link The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing both Israeli and regional intelligence sources, reported that discussions between Hamas and Iranian security officials had been underway since 2021. Iran was instrumental in strengthening the Hamas army by providing it with financial aid, arms, and combat training, especially in the weeks leading up to the October 7 attack. However, officials also noted that both Iran and Hezbollah had warned Hamas against entering into a a full-scale war with Israel. The seized reports also brings to the fore the fact that Hamas had begun institutionalising its anti-normalization efforts well before the massacre. Further in October 2022, the Gaza-based militant group had posted for a job vacany seeking a university-educated individual with negotiation skills to lead its campaign against Arab-Israeli normalisation. The Wall Street Journal report also mentioned that an internal briefing marked 'secret" from August 2022, written by Hamas's military leadership, concluded with the following text: 'It has become the duty of the movement to reposition itself to preserve the survival of the Palestinian cause in the face of the broad wave of normalisation by Arab countries, which aims primarily to liquidate the Palestinian cause." As a response, Hamas was bolstering its ties with Lebanon-based Hezbollah as well as other Palestinian militant factions, the briefing says. The responsibilities involved engaging grassroots groups and promoting boycotts against organisations backing diplomatic coordination with Israel. Watch India Pakistan Breaking News on CNN-News18. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! Location : Israel First Published: May 26, 2025, 16:27 IST
India Today
26-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Hamas used Oct 7 massacre to derail Israel-Saudi deal, tunnel papers confirm
What has always been suggested now stands confirmed. Hamas, the Gaza-based terror group, launched the October 7, 2023, massacre with the goal of disrupting talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia to normalise ties, according to new documents obtained by The Wall Street Journal. The documents, allegedly found in a tunnel beneath Gaza, reveal that former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar believed that only an "extraordinary act" could prevent the two nations from formalising ties. A deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia would be a game-changer for political dynamics in the Middle records from one of the tunnels in the Hamas underground network also detail a pivotal meeting of Hamas's political leadership that took place just five days before the October 7 attack on Israel led to the deaths of over 1,000 Israelis and the retaliatory attacks on Palestinians, which have killed more than 53,000 Palestinians. In 2023, Saudi Arabia, the most powerful Sunni country in the Middle East, was on the verge of signing a deal with Israel, when the Hamas attack and the Israeli pummelling of Gaza shelved it. Experts have suggested that Iran, the biggest Shia force in the Middle East, orchestrated the attacks through Hamas to scuttle the Israel-Saudi the October 2, 2023, meeting, Sinwar reportedly declared that only a dramatic, high-impact action could prevent the Saudi-Israeli deal from advancing. He warned that the agreement risked sidelining the Palestinian cause and could lead to a broader normalisation wave across the Arab and Islamic PLAN INCLUDED INTENSIFYING UNREST IN WEST BANKadvertisementSinwar called for the execution of an operation that had been in planning for two years, describing it as a strategic move to shift the region's political balance and reignite attention to the Palestinian meeting minutes from the October 2, 2023, gathering of Hamas's political bureau in Gaza cite Sinwar as saying, "There is no doubt that the Saudi-Zionist normalisation agreement is progressing significantly." He warned a deal would 'open the door for the majority of Arab and Islamic countries to follow the same path."The goal, he said, is "to bring about a major move or a strategic shift in the paths and balances of the region with regard to the Palestinian cause".Among the seized documents was a September 2023 Hamas report that advised intensifying unrest in the West Bank and Jerusalem to complicate the Saudi-Israeli negotiations. The report voiced deep scepticism over Saudi commitments to the Palestinian cause, suggesting that Riyadh was taking only superficial steps to neutralise opposition like classified Hamas memo from August 2022 highlighted growing alarm over a regional push to normalise ties with Israel, describing this trend as a direct threat to the Palestinian national struggle. The memo emphasised the need for Hamas to reposition itself strategically, which included enhancing coordination with groups like Hezbollah and other Palestinian DOCUMENTS REVEAL IRAN LINK TO OCTOBER 7 ATTACKSadvertisementAccording to both Israeli and regional intelligence sources, discussions between Hamas and Iranian security officials had been ongoing since 2021, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) had been providing Hamas with financial aid, arms, and combat training, especially in the weeks leading up to the October 7 attack. However, officials also noted that Iran and Hezbollah had cautioned Hamas against drawing them into a full-scale war with are conflicting accounts about how much Tehran knew about the timing and scope of the senior sources claim a separate meeting took place on October 2 in Beirut between Hamas representatives and Iranian officials, during which Iran approved the operation, the WSJ report final details of the plan were kept tightly guarded by Hamas's Gaza-based military leadership. Among the other internal Hamas documents found by the Israeli military and reviewed by the WSJ was a September 2023 report that recommended escalating the conflict in the West Bank and Jerusalem to make Saudi-Israeli normalisation more report expressed mistrust of Saudi pledges to uphold Palestinian interests, calling them "weak and limited steps to neutralise" Hamas and stop it from fighting back against of the key figures involved in organising the assault, including Sinwar and Marwan Issa, have since been killed by Israeli forces. His brother, Mohammed Sinwar, who led Hamas's military operations, was targeted in a recent Israeli airstrike, though his fate remains unclear. Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas's leader in exile and one of its most influential figures, was also WORKED TO SCUTTLE 'NORMALISATION' BY ARAB COUNTRIESThe documents also reveal that Hamas had begun institutionalising its anti-normalization efforts well before the attack. In October 2022, Hamas posted a job opening seeking a university-educated individual with negotiation skills to lead its campaign against Arab-Israeli internal briefing marked "secret" from August 2022, written by Hamas's military leadership, concludes: "It has become the duty of the movement to reposition itself to preserve the survival of the Palestinian cause in the face of the broad wave of normalisation by Arab countries, which aims primarily to liquidate the Palestinian cause."In response, Hamas was strengthening its coordination with Hezbollah as well as other Palestinian militant factions, the briefing included engaging grassroots groups and promoting boycotts against organisations backing diplomatic ties with Arabia, which has maintained a strained relationship with Hamas since the latter's violent takeover of Gaza by rival faction Fatah, has since paused any progress toward normalisation. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is now reportedly unwilling to proceed without two preconditions: a ceasefire in Gaza and a clear path toward Palestinian Watch
