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Netanyahu’s West Bank miscalculation is uniting the Arab world on Palestine

5 0
10.06.2025

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long thrived on regional fragmentation, most recently cutting normalization deals, known as the Abraham Accords, with Arab states while sidelining the Palestinian issue. But that strategy is collapsing.

In a historic miscalculation, Netanyahu’s refusal to allow Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and a delegation of Arab foreign ministers to visit the West Bank has provoked outrage and accelerated Arab unity behind the formal recognition of a Palestinian state.

To be clear, Hamas bears full responsibility for its brutal Oct. 7 terrorist attacks against Israel that ignited the Gaza War. Hamas’s continued rejection of U.S.-backed cease-fire proposals has prolonged the problem. At the same time, Netanyahu’s response — marked by the indiscriminate killing of civilians and disregard for international law — has further isolated Israel on the world stage.

Prince Faisal’s visit would have marked the first official Saudi stop in Palestinian territory since 1967. Coordinated by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, the delegation aimed to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah and send a clear diplomatic message that........

© The Hill