Expectations of a landmark U.S.-brokered Saudi-Israeli deal have grown over the last week, though the timing and terms remain murky.
Among complicating factors are calls by Riyadh and Washington for the Palestinians to make diplomatic inroads as part of any deal - a prospect unpalatable to Israel's hardline coalition government.
Saudi Arabia's non-resident ambassador to the Palestinians - a role it unveiled last month - made a first visit to their seat of government in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, presenting credentials also designating him "consul-general in Jerusalem".
That title is touchy as Israel considers all of Jerusalem its own capital and rejects the Palestinians' claim on East Jerusalem as the capital of their hoped-for future state.
The ambassador, Nayef Al-Sudairi, told reporters in Ramallah his visit "reaffirms that the Palestinian cause and Palestine and the people of Palestine are of high and important status and that in the coming days there will be a chance for a bigger cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the state of Palestine".
Referring to the prospect of normalization with Israel, Al-Sudairi said: "It is the normal thing among nations to have peace and stability."
"The Arab initiative, which Saudi Arabia presented in 2002, is a fundamental pillar of any upcoming agreement," he added.
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