Palestine’s Abbas meets Saudi crown prince as Hamas performs umrah

Saudi Arabia is seeking to build relations with the Palestinian Authority after recent engagement with Syria and Iran.
Palestine-Saudi football fans
Soccer fans cheer below a banner bearing the portraits of Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas (L), late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat (2nd-L), Saudi King Salman (2nd-R) and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R), ahead of the World Cup 2022 Asian qualifying match between Palestine and Saudi Arabia, al-Ram, West Bank, Oct. 15, 2019. - Hazem Bader/AFP
Al Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East
Al-Monitor Staff

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, aka MBS, discussed bilateral relations, Saudi Arabia’s economic diversification plans and the conflict with Israel, both sides said on Wednesday. Meanwhile, videos emerged on social media Tuesday evening showing Hamas leadership performing a pilgrimage in Mecca.

Abbas arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday, and was scheduled to meet MBS on Tuesday. The two discussed the “latest developments in the Palestinian territories,” according to the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

 

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