Hamas on Monday lambasted the Saudis for agreeing to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling the move an "insult" to the Palestinian cause.
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for the terrorist group that controls the Gaza Strip, called the Neom meeting between, Netanyahu, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo "dangerous" and demanded the Riyadh "clarify what happened because this represents an insult to the nation and the squandering of Palestinian rights."
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Saudi Arabia was the architect of the 2002 Arab peace initiative seeking to promote a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The US has been pushing for the Saudis to be the next Gulf state to reach a peace deal with Israel under the Abraham Accords, but top officials in the kingdom have linked normalizing ties with the Jewish state with a major breakthrough in the talks with Ramallah.
It is unclear whether Netanyahu's meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed signals a shift in Riyadh's policy on the issue.
Mossad Director Yossi Cohen was also present at the meeting, which reportedly focused on Jerusalem-Riyadh ties and possible rapprochement between the Gulf power and the Jewish state.
Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, who serves as defense minister and prime minister-designate was not appraised of the meeting, nor was Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, the official said. The two were also excluded from the talks with the United Arab Emirates.
Riyadh has yet to officially comments on the reports of the meeting, which was arranged by US Special Representative for Iran Elliot Abrams.
Both US President Donald Trump and Netanyahu have in recent weeks said additional Arab states were interested in signing peace deals with Israel.
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