体坛英语新闻：Saudi national football team visits West Bank for 1st time

RAMALLAH, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia's national football team arrived for the first time in the West Bank on Sunday, to play against its Palestinian counterpart as part of the 2020 World Cup Asian qualifiers.

The Saudi sports delegation consisting of more than 100 members entered the West Bank in three buses through the King Hussein Bridge on the border between Jordan and the West Bank, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

The Saudi football team laid a wreath on the grave of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah and then met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and members of the Palestinian leadership.

Abbas welcomed the Saudi team at his office, stressing that the visit reflects the historical relationship between the two sides.

"Your country has provided the honor to Palestine," Abbas said, adding that "the Palestinian cause is in the heart of Saudi people."

The Saudi team will be trained on Palestinian stadiums ahead of the match with its Palestinian counterpart, which is scheduled on Oct. 15 at the stadium of Faisal Husseini in the town of Al-Ram in northern Jerusalem.

The Palestinians view the match as a "historic" event, as the Saudi team's visit to the Palestinian territories is a political support from the Saudi leadership and opens the door for Arab and other teams to visit Palestine.

Jibril Rajoub, head of the Palestinian Football Association, said that the Palestinian side is ready for all arrangements for the Saudi mission.

Rajoub said that the meeting with the Saudi football team delivered a message to the world that "the Palestinian people are rooted in their land ... Our people deserve to obtain their legitimate rights to establish an independent state."

"Despite facing the Israeli occupation's practices ... the Palestinians are able to organize and host Arab and international sports, and achieve victory," he added.