Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman greets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Sat 12 August 2023:
Saudi Arabia on Saturday named a non-resident ambassador for the Palestinian Territories, who will also serve as consul general for Jerusalem, the foreign ministry said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The role will be filled by Nayef al-Sudairi.
This comes amid speculations about the Kingdom’s consideration of establishing formal diplomatic relations with Israel.
Al-Sudairi handed his credentials to Majdi al-Khalidi, the Palestinian president’s adviser for diplomatic affairs, at the headquarters of the Palestinian embassy in Jordan’s capital of Amman, the statement added.
سفير خادم الحرمين الشريفين لدى الأردن نايف السديري، يسلم نسخة من أوراق اعتماده سفيراً فوق العادة وغير مقيم لدى دولة فلسطين، وقنصلاً عاماً بمدينة القدس إلى معالي مستشار الرئيس الفلسطيني للشؤون الدبلوماسية الدكتور مجدي الخالدي في مقر السفارة الفلسطينية بالعاصمة الأردنية عمّان. pic.twitter.com/7pbNllfQsg
— وزارة الخارجية 🇸🇦 (@KSAMOFA) August 12, 2023
The appointment represents “an important step” underscoring the desire of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman “to strengthen relations with the brothers of the State of Palestine and give it a formal boost in all areas,” Sudairi said in a video broadcast by the Saudi al-Ekhbariya channel.
The file for the Palestinian Territories has traditionally been handled by Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Amman.
This comes as Saudi Arabia has reportedly long championed the Palestinian cause and shunned official ties with Israel. However, the United States, which has strong ties with Israel, has sought to promote what could be a historic Middle East deal that would include normalising Israeli-Saudi relations.
So far, the file for the Palestinian Territories has been handled by Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Jordan. Saudi Arabia does not recognise Israel and also did not join the Washington-brokered Abraham Accords which saw Israel establish ties with two of its kingdom’s neighbouring countries, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
The Palestinian president’s diplomatic adviser Majdi al-Khalidi called the appointment an “important step that will contribute to further strengthening the strong brotherly relations that bind the two countries and the two brotherly peoples,” as quoted by Wafa.
A Palestinian Authority official speaking to AFP, on the condition of anonymity said that with this announcement “Saudi Arabia has reaffirmed its recognition of the state of Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital”.
This comes as Jerusalem is one of the biggest points of contention in a possible peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians. “This is one part of several steps and we will continue to develop the relationship with them,” the Palestinian source added.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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