US envoy to Middle East meets senior Palestinian official in Saudi Arabia: Report

Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC on January 20, 2025 [Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images]

The US envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, has met with a senior advisor to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the Saudi capital Riyadh, according to a media report.

“This was the first meeting between a Trump administration official and a Palestinian official since November’s election,” Axios news portal reported yesterday.

Citing sources, Axios said the meeting followed weeks of back-channel talks between officials from the Trump administration and the Palestinian leadership.

During the 2024 campaign, the Palestinian president attempted to mend ties with Trump, sending him a letter of support following the first assassination attempt against him during a political rally in Pennsylvania on 13 July. Trump responded positively to the gesture.

Witkoff is also expected to visit the Gaza Strip, marking the first visit by a US government official in nearly two decades.

READ: Saudi envoy to UK: No normalisation with Israel without Palestinian state

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