Israel Blocks Arab Ministers' Meeting in Ramallah

Israel has halted a scheduled meeting in Ramallah involving Arab ministers from Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE. The meeting aimed to discuss establishing a Palestinian state, a move Israel deems provocative. This development precedes an international conference about Palestinian statehood in New York.

Israel has intervened to prevent a meeting in Ramallah, the Palestinian administrative capital in the occupied West Bank, from taking place. The meeting was to include ministers from Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE, who needed Israeli permission to travel to the West Bank from Jordan.

An Israeli official described the intent of the meeting as provocative, aimed at promoting the establishment of a Palestinian state. The official argued that such a state would threaten Israel's security, stating that Israel will resist efforts perceived to harm its integrity.

This incident comes just before an international conference on Palestinian statehood, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, scheduled in New York. Amid pressure from international entities supporting a two-state solution, French President Emmanuel Macron called the recognition of a Palestinian state a moral and political necessity.