(MENAFN) Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, is set to lead a delegation from the Arab-Islamic ministerial committee to Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, amid increasing international efforts to advance Palestinian statehood.

A Saudi-led Tv indicates that Prince Faisal will spearhead the committee’s mission to rally international support for halting hostilities in Gaza and crafting a political framework to end Israeli occupation. During the visit, he is scheduled to meet senior Palestinian leaders, including President Mahmoud Abbas.

The visit comes as planning intensifies for a United Nations conference in New York next month, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, that will focus on potential pathways toward a two-state solution to the conflict.

This trip marks the first time since 1967 that a high-ranking Saudi diplomat has visited Palestinian territories.

Previously, the Palestinian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Mazen Ghoneim, noted that the foreign minister would be accompanied by top diplomats from Egypt, Jordan, and other countries.

Ghoneim emphasized that “The ministerial visit… is considered a clear message. The Palestinian cause is a central issue to Arabs and Muslims,” highlighting the visit’s symbolic weight.

The delegation’s tour follows the committee’s latest gathering in Madrid, where participants reaffirmed their commitment to a two-state solution based on the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital, in line with relevant UN resolutions.

Since October 2023, Israel has conducted a relentless military offensive in Gaza, resulting in the deaths of over 54,000 Palestinians, the majority of whom were women and children. Humanitarian organizations have warned that the siege has left more than two million people at risk of famine.

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