Saudi Diriyah Company Announces 'Zallal' in the Bujairi District

Upon completion, the project will feature two low-rise office buildings, offering a combined leasable area of approximately 6,000 square meters, alongside 12 mixed retail and F&B outlets spanning around 8,000 square meters. (SPA)
Upon completion, the project will feature two low-rise office buildings, offering a combined leasable area of approximately 6,000 square meters, alongside 12 mixed retail and F&B outlets spanning around 8,000 square meters. (SPA)
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Saudi Diriyah Company Announces 'Zallal' in the Bujairi District

Upon completion, the project will feature two low-rise office buildings, offering a combined leasable area of approximately 6,000 square meters, alongside 12 mixed retail and F&B outlets spanning around 8,000 square meters. (SPA)
Upon completion, the project will feature two low-rise office buildings, offering a combined leasable area of approximately 6,000 square meters, alongside 12 mixed retail and F&B outlets spanning around 8,000 square meters. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia’s Diriyah Company unveiled on Monday details of Zallal, its inaugural major versatile commercial office and retail project, slated to debut in the first half of 2025 in the Bujairi District.

Upon completion, the project will feature two low-rise office buildings, offering a combined leasable area of approximately 6,000 square meters, alongside 12 mixed retail and F&B outlets spanning around 8,000 square meters, said the company in a statement.

The project has garnered enthusiastic interest from potential tenants, with advanced leasing negotiations currently underway with numerous companies and organizations.

Zallal's strategic location adjacent to the popular Bujairi Terrace positions it to benefit from the proximity to a venue already drawing thousands of visitors daily. Situated near the recently concluded Diriyah Art Futures and the forthcoming Bab Samhan Hotel, the offering promises a dynamic environment for both visitors and tenants.

Diriyah Company's Group CEO Jerry Inzerillo said: “We have been thrilled by the overwhelmingly positive response to Zallal from the commercial sector, and we are currently in advanced negotiations with international and local companies eager to capitalize on the prime location in the heart of Diriyah and the diverse array of accessible retail, F&B, and office spaces available."

"With construction well underway, Zallal sustains the exhilarating momentum at Diriyah and, upon completion, will capitalize on the daily influx of visitors to Bujairi Terrace, emerging as the latest completed precinct in our rapidly evolving master plan,” he added.

Visitors and staff will enjoy the convenience of an easily accessible, 1,400-space basement car park beneath Zallal, featuring direct links to Wadi Hanifah, Al Imam Abdulaziz bin Muhammad ibn Saud Road, and public transportation. Coach drop-off points for tourists and visitors will ensure a seamless arrival experience in a pedestrian-friendly environment.

Among the companies currently engaged in leasing negotiations are esteemed international brands venturing into Saudi Arabia for the first time, locally grown enterprises, and innovative Saudi concepts.



Washington Urges Israel to Extend Cooperation with Palestinian Banks

A West Bank Jewish settlement is seen in the background, while a protestor waves a Palestinian flag during a protest against Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank village of Bilin in 2012. (AP)
A West Bank Jewish settlement is seen in the background, while a protestor waves a Palestinian flag during a protest against Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank village of Bilin in 2012. (AP)
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Washington Urges Israel to Extend Cooperation with Palestinian Banks

A West Bank Jewish settlement is seen in the background, while a protestor waves a Palestinian flag during a protest against Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank village of Bilin in 2012. (AP)
A West Bank Jewish settlement is seen in the background, while a protestor waves a Palestinian flag during a protest against Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank village of Bilin in 2012. (AP)

The United States on Thursday called on Israel to extend its cooperation with Palestinian banks for another year, to avoid blocking vital transactions in the occupied West Bank.

"I am glad that Israel has allowed its banks to continue cooperating with Palestinian banks, but I remain convinced that a one-year extension of the waiver to facilitate this cooperation is needed," US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Thursday, on the sidelines of a meeting of G20 finance ministers in Rio de Janeiro.

In May, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich threatened to cut off a vital banking channel between Israel and the West Bank in response to three European countries recognizing the State of Palestine.

On June 30, however, Smotrich extended a waiver that allows cooperation between Israel's banking system and Palestinian banks in the occupied West Bank for four months, according to Israeli media, according to AFP.

The Times of Israel newspaper reported that the decision on the waiver was made at a cabinet meeting in a "move that saw Israel legalize several West Bank settlement outposts."

The waiver was due to expire at the end of June, and the extension permitted Israeli banks to process payments for salaries and services to the Palestinian Authority in shekels, averting a blow to a Palestinian economy already devastated by the war in Gaza.

The Israeli threat raised serious concerns in the United States, which said at the time it feared "a humanitarian crisis" if banking ties were cut.

According to Washington, these banking channels are key to nearly $8 billion of imports from Israel to the West Bank, including electricity, water, fuel and food.