Israel's ban on West Bank visit of Middle East countries' FMs draws multiple condemnations

Israel's ban on the visit of foreign ministers from six Middle Eastern countries to the West Bank has drawn condemnations from Palestine and other relevant parties.

As the Times of Israel reported on Friday, Israel decided to block a planned visit by foreign ministers from six Middle East countries to the West Bank, as a senior Israeli official confirmed.

The report said the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and Türkiye had planned to visit Ramallah on Sunday and met with the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The senior Israeli official said the Palestinian Authority planned to hold a meeting to "promote the establishment of a Palestinian state" and "Israel will not cooperate with moves designed to harm it and its security."

Mahmoud al-Habbash, an advisor to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on religious affair, said on Saturday that the Palestinian leadership condemns Israel's interference in preventing the meeting between President Abbas and the delegation of the foreign ministers.

Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh said on the same day that Israel's move is a "dangerous escalation" and a reflection of "arrogant and provocative behavior." He added that Palestinian leadership is consulting with Arab partners on how to respond to the move.

According to a statement released by Jordan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates on Saturday, the foreign ministries in the delegation from the five Arab countries, namely Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Jordan, and Qatar, jointly condemned Israel's ban on the planned visit.

Israel captured East Jerusalem, along with the rest of the West Bank, in the 1967 Six-Day War. Under international law, East Jerusalem is considered occupied Palestinian territory, and its annexation by Israel is deemed illegal.

Israel's ban on West Bank visit of Middle East countries' FMs draws multiple condemnations

Israel's ban on West Bank visit of Middle East countries' FMs draws multiple condemnations

Israel's ban on West Bank visit of Middle East countries' FMs draws multiple condemnations

The U.S. dollar strengthened in late trading on Friday.

The dollar index, which measures the greenback against six major peers, added 0.2 percent to 99.132 at 15:00 (2000 GMT).

In late New York trading, the euro decreased to 1.1635 dollars from 1.1650 dollars in the previous session, and the British pound was down to 1.3407 dollars from 1.3431 dollars in the previous session.

The U.S. dollar bought 157.88 Japanese yen, higher than 156.97 Japanese yen in the previous session. The U.S. dollar rose to 0.8010 Swiss francs from 0.7995 Swiss francs, and it climbed to 1.3910 Canadian dollars from 1.3868 Canadian dollars. The U.S. dollar was down to 9.2025 Swedish kronor from 9.2246 Swedish kronor.

U.S. dollar ticks up