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Saudi envoy seeks to reassure Palestinians amid Israel talks

Saudi ambassador Nayef bin Bandar al-Sudairi speaks to journalists, joined by Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki, on the left
— Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP)

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday sent its first delegation in three decades to the occupied West Bank to reassure Palestinians that it will defend their cause even as it forges closer ties with Israel.

In a sign of the thaw, Israel's Tourism Minister Haim Katz visited Riyadh on the same day, for the first such high-level public mission to the oil-rich kingdom.

Washington has urged its Middle East allies Israel and Saudi Arabia to normalise diplomatic relations, following on from similar deals involving the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco.

Jenin

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