Palestinian Authority Welcomes Its First Saudi Ambassador

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Facts

• The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has hosted a self-proclaimed 'historic milestone' of welcoming its first Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia — Nayef al-Sudairi.¹
• The delegation to Palestine is the first of its kind to travel to the West Bank since the Oslo Accords in 1993. Al-Sudairi was initially met by Palestine's highest-ranking diplomat, Riyad Al-Maliki.²
• Non-resident al-Sudairi, who is also Saudi's ambassador to Jordan, continued the two-day visit by meeting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.³
• Al-Sudairi's new role was revealed in August this year, with his position also described as 'consul-general in Jerusalem.' The ambassador claimed that his new position and visit 'reaffirms' the Palestinian cause — allowing the opportunity for 'bigger cooperation' between the two states.⁴
• Al-Sudairi also emphasized the importance of the 2002 Arab initiative as a 'cornerstone of any upcoming deal' – referring to both the proposition for Israel to leave the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza, and the Golan Heights, as well as the US' desire to broker a deal between both Israel and Saudi Arabia.⁵
• This comes as Israeli Tourism Minister Haim Katz has arrived in Saudi Arabia for a UN conference, marking the first public Israeli cabinet member to visit the Gulf nation. This is occurring alongside US-brokered efforts to attempt to achieve Saudi-Israeli normalization.⁶

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera (a), ²Arab News, ³VOA, ⁴Reuters, ⁵Barrons and ⁶Al Jazeera (b).

Narratives

• Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by The Times of Israel. Having previously disregarded the importance of diplomatic ties with Israel for nearly a year, the White House now expects Tel Aviv to accept and allow concessions to Palestine in return for a deal with Saudi Arabia. Such a reality may be a stretch for Netanyahu's government, which will not relinquish to external international pressure. Israel has a high bar for any realignment of relations of nations in the region.
• Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by Palestine Chronicle. This is not the first time that Saudi Arabia has shown goodwill towards Palestine, nor will it be the last. If the Saudis truly desire change in the West Bank, they must provide more than rhetoric and show they are truly supportive of the Palestinian cause. Palestine too, has a high bar as the geopolitics shifts in the region.

Predictions