Abbas cuts short trip to Saudi Arabia after Israeli attacks in West Bank

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas cut short his visit to Saudi Arabia and returned to Ramallah on Wednesday following Israeli military attacks in the northern West Bank.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa said Abbas decided to cut short his trip to the kingdom “due to Israel’s escalating aggression in the northern West Bank.”

The Palestinian leader started an official visit to Saudi Arabia on Monday and held talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Israel’s war on Gaza.

The Israeli army launched a major military operation in the northern West Bank early Wednesday.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the army operation includes the “temporary evacuation of Palestinian residents” from areas in the northern West Bank.

At least 11 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the operation, according to the latest figures released by the Health Ministry.

Tension has been running high across the occupied West Bank as Israel continues its war on Gaza, having killed 40,500 people, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7, 2023.

At least 660 Palestinians have since been killed and nearly 5,400 others injured in the West Bank, according to Palestinian figures.

In a landmark opinion on July 19, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian land unlawful and demanded the evacuation of all existing settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.