About a month ago, a meeting in Riyadh between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and senior Arab officials erupted into a heated exchange between the UAE’s foreign minister and a senior adviser to the Palestinian president.

This confrontation, reported by five sources, highlights skepticism about the Palestinian Authority’s planned reforms and reflects internal disputes among Arab leaders, potentially undermining the Biden administration’s strategy for post-war Gaza.

Held on April 29, alongside the World Economic Forum, the meeting aimed to discuss a unified strategy for Gaza.

Besides Blinken, attendees included foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, and the UAE, as well as Palestinian Minister Hussein al-Sheikh, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Al-Sheikh claimed the Palestinian Authority was implementing reforms and forming a new government as requested but lacked sufficient political and economic support.

UAE’s foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed countered, stating he had not seen significant reforms in the Palestinian Authority.

Written by B.C. Begley