Israel on Sunday, August 13, said it will not allow the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) to open a Palestinian consulate in Jerusalem.
Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen told a Tel Aviv radio station that Saudi Arabia planned to appoint a non-resident ambassador to the Palestinians, but the matter was not coordinated with them, The Jerusalem Post reported.
“Nayef Al-Sudairi could be a delegate who will meet with representatives in the Palestinian Authority,” Cohen adds.
“We will not allow the opening of any kind of diplomatic mission” in Jerusalem, Cohen added. “Will there be an official physically sitting in Jerusalem? This… we will not allow.”
The decision comes following Saudi Arabia’s announcement on Saturday, August 12, of its first non-resident ambassador for the Palestinian territories.
Nayef bin Bandar Al-Sudairi, who is the current ambassador to Jordan, will also serve as consul general for Jerusalem.
Recently, Israeli statements regarding negotiations for the normalization of relations with Saudi Arabia, mediated by the United States, have increased, but Saudi Arabia has determined more than once that the Palestinian issue will be resolved first, before any normalization with Israel, on the basis of the Arab Peace Initiative endorsed by the Arab League in 2002.
