Saudi Arabia names first ambassador to ‘Palestine’ amid Israel rapprochement

Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Jordan, Nayef bin Bandar Al-Sudairi, will serve as the first non-resident ambassador extraordinary to the “State of Palestine,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday.

The move comes amid reports that Saudi Arabia and Israel are close to reaching a normalization agreement under the auspices of the US.

The appointment of the ambassador is also seen as a message from the Saudis that a normalization agreement with Israel won’t affect Riyadh’s relations with the Palestinians.

Palestinian officials in Ramallah had expressed concern over the possible deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia, saying they were being kept in the dark about the US efforts to reach an agreement between the two countries.The officials also expressed hope that the apparent rapprochement between Israel and Saudi Arabia won’t affect the kingdom’s support for the Palestinian issue.

A senior Palestinian official praised the appointment of the Saudi ambassador as a “diplomatic and historic victory.”Sudairi, who will remain in his job as ambassador to Jordan, will also serve as “consul-general in Jerusalem,” the Saudi ministry said.

On Saturday, the Saudi diplomat presented his credentials to Majdi Al-Khalidi, diplomatic affairs adviser to \ during a ceremony at the Palestinian embassy in Amman. The official credentials will be handed over to Abbas as soon as possible, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.Sudairi later thanked King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for appointing him ambassador to the “State of Palestine.”

The ambassador wrote on Twitter: “Sincere thanks and great gratitude for the trust of my Lord the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and His Highness the Crown Prince and Prime Minister for appointing me as the Kingdom’s (non-resident) ambassador to the sister country Palestine and Consul General in the city of Jerusalem.”

Sudairi told Jordan’s Al-Mamlaka TV: “This is an important step that has big implications regarding the keenness of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to strengthen relations with our brothers in the State of Palestine. This step will benefit the brothers in Palestine and organize our relations in an official manner in all fields. We are hoping that our relations will remain as they have been and even better.”

Khalidi said the appointment of a non-resident ambassador of Saudi Arabia to “Palestine is an important step that will contribute to further strengthening the strong brotherly relations that bind the two countries and the two brotherly peoples.”

He expressed appreciation for the “firm stances of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia towards the Palestinian people, and its permanent support for the Palestinian cause in all international forums.”

The appointment of the Saudi ambassador came days after Abbas met in Amman with Jordan’s King Abdullah and discussed with him the latest reports concerning a possible normalization deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia.Abbas, meanwhile, is expected to travel on Sunday to Egypt to participate in a tripartite summit with President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and King Abdullah.

Mahmoud Abbas turns to Egypt to bolster support

The Palestinian ambassador to Egypt, Diab al-Louh, said the three Arab leaders will discuss “the various issues at the Arab, regional, and international levels in order to unify their positions on how to deal with the political, regional, and international movements.”

The three leaders will also discuss the latest developments in the Palestinian issue and “coordinate positions on garnering international support to end the suffering of the Palestinian people, achieving their legitimate national rights to freedom and independence, and establish their state with east Jerusalem as its capital,” the Palestinian envoy added.