Saudi delegation arrives in West Bank for first time in three decades: Palestinian official

Saudi delegation arrives in West Bank for first time in three decades: Palestinian official

It is the first such Saudi delegation to travel to the West Bank since the landmark Oslo Accords were signed in 1993.

Al Sudairi, the Saudi envoy to Jordan, was last month appointed non-resident ambassador to the Palestinian territories and consul general for Jerusalem.

He will be received by the top Palestinian diplomat, Riyad Al Maliki, the foreign ministry in Ramallah said.

Al Sudairi is then due to meet Palestinian present Mahmoud Abbas.

Al Sudairi’s visit to Ramallah comes as Washington has been leading talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia on a potential normalisation of relations between the two countries, a move seen as a game changer for the region.

On Monday, Shaikh Abdullah bin Rashid Al Khalifa, Bahrain's ambassador to the US, said a peace deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel is "probably not a matter of if, it's a matter of when".