The Week In News For all your auto home life and business needs

“They didn’t coordinate with us, and they didn’t have to coordinate with us,” Cohen said, adding that the Saudi ambassador’s appointment comes amid “the advancement of talks between the US and the Saudis regarding Israel.”

“The Saudis wanted to send a message to the Palestinians that they didn’t forget them,” Cohen said.

Still, the Israeli official said that Israel would not permit the opening of any diplomatic representations for the Palestinians in Jerusalem.

This is Saudi Arabia’s first ambassadorial appointment to the Palestinian Authority. The kingdom has had diplomatic relations with the PA, but the level of representation and the nature of the relationship between the two have varied over time.

All members of the Arab bloc, including Saudi Arabia, recognize Palestinian statehood, and the kingdom maintains a Palestinian embassy in the capital Riyadh.

The move comes amid reports of a normalization deal in the works between Saudi Arabia and Israel, with the Unites States involved in the rapprochement.