Saudi Arabia rejects forced displacement of Palestinians

The Cabinet, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman in Riyadh on Tuesday, renewed the Kingdom's categorical rejection of calls for the forced displacement of the Palestinian people, and demanded an immediate ceasefire, lifting the siege on Gaza and advancing the peace process in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative aimed at establishing an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The Cabinet went over the content of the talks between the Kingdom and a number of countries concerning the ongoing escalation in Gaza and other related developments, including the phone calls the Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Salman received from the presidents of Turkiye, Iran and France, as well as the meeting he held with the US secretary of state.

The Cabinet was briefed on the content of the message the Crown Prince received from the UAE vice president, prime minister and ruler of Dubai concerning ties between the two countries and their peoples, and ways to strengthen them.

In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) following the session, Minister of Media Salman Bin Yousef Al-Dosari said that the Cabinet discussed the overall foreign policy of the Kingdom, including strengthening ties with various countries.

The Cabinet reviewed the outcome of the eighth Saudi-Russian Joint Committee meetings, which aim to boost cooperation in vital areas, to achieve desired future goals.

The Cabinet highlighted the Kingdom's stand during the Council of Ministers meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), when it renewed its support for efforts to confront the challenges facing maritime safety and global trade, and to secure the freedom of global navigation.

Concerning the UN's selection of Riyadh to host the 19th edition of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in 2024, the Cabinet said it is testimony to the Kingdom’s global leadership in this field, and to its efforts to create an infrastructure capable of nurturing sustainable development goals and serving communities and the business sector.

Saudi Arabia rejects forced displacement of Palestinians

Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal Bin Farhan in a meeting with US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken in Riyadh on Saturday, categorically rejected calls for the forced displacement of the Palestinian people from Gaza.

During the meeting, the Saudi foreign minister also expressed his condemnation of targeting civilians in any way.

Prince Faisal stressed Saudi Arabia’s demand for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and its surroundings, and to lift the siege on the Strip in line with international law.

This, he added, is in addition to work to ensure the entry of urgent humanitarian aid, including food and medicine.

The priority now is to work to prevent more innocent civilians from being affected as a result of the ongoing spiral of violence, the Saudi foreign minister said.

He called for the need to make a rapid collective effort to stop this spiral, and all forms of military escalation against civilians to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe.

“Israel must abide by international humanitarian law,” he emphasized.

“Any actions that contradict international law and international humanitarian law will deepen the current crisis and increase the suffering in that region.”

Prince Faisal stressed that dialogue is the only way to finding a just and comprehensive political solution to the conflict.

He noted that the international community must assume its responsibility to stop the violence and advance the peace process in accordance with the resolutions of the Security Council, the United Nations General Assembly, and the Arab Peace Initiative.

The meeting was attended by Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to the United States Princess Reema Bint Bandar and the Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Ambassador Dr. Saud Al-Sati.