In a post on the X platform, Sheikh said, "The Israeli occupation's decision to prevent the Arab-Islamic delegation from reaching Ramallah is a dangerous escalation that reflects arrogant, provocative, and unprecedented behavior."
He stressed that the Palestinian Authority is "studying with our Arab brothers ways to respond" to the Israeli move.
On Friday, the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth quoted an Israeli official as saying, "The Palestinian Authority refuses to condemn the October 7 attack," and that "hosting Arab ministers in Ramallah to promote the establishment of a Palestinian state is unacceptable." No official Israeli comment was issued until 3:30 PM (GMT).
He added that Israel "will not participate in steps that harm it, and the Authority must stop violating the agreements," he claimed.
Meanwhile, PLO Executive Committee member Ahmed al-Majdalani said on Friday that the ministerial delegation, which includes the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, and the UAE, was scheduled to visit Ramallah to meet with the Palestinian president and other officials, as part of preparations for an international peace conference in New York in mid-June, sponsored by Saudi Arabia and France.
Saudi Arabia and France are co-chairing the "High-Level International Conference for a Peaceful Settlement of the Palestinian Issue and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution," which will be held in New York from June 17 to 20, according to the United Nations website.
This ban comes as Israel continues its genocide in the Gaza Strip and deepens the humanitarian catastrophe by continuing to starve Palestinians there since closing the crossings on March 2, preventing the entry of food, medicine, aid, and fuel.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with full American support, has been committing genocide in the Gaza Strip, leaving more than 178,000 Palestinians dead or wounded, most of them children and women, more than 11,000 missing, and hundreds of thousands displaced.
In parallel with the annihilation of Gaza, the Israeli occupation army and settlers escalated their attacks in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, resulting in the deaths of at least 972 Palestinians, the injury of approximately 7,000, and the arrest of more than 17,000, according to Palestinian data.
