Saudi Arabia Reiterates Categorical Rejection of Extremist Israeli Statements

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting in Riyadh. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting in Riyadh. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Reiterates Categorical Rejection of Extremist Israeli Statements

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting in Riyadh. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting in Riyadh. (SPA)

The Saudi government stressed on Tuesday its categorical rejection of extremist and inflammatory Israeli statements and ongoing provocations of the sentiments of Muslims around the world.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chaired the cabinet meeting that was held in Riyadh.

The government called on the international community to put a stop to the catastrophic humanitarian crisis endured by the brotherly Palestinian people and to activate serious mechanisms to hold Israeli officials accountable for their continuous violations of international laws, norms and resolutions.

The ministers were briefed on the message received by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz from Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and the talks held between Crown Prince Mohammed and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

During the talks, Saudi Arabia stressed that it will maintain its efforts with international and regional parties to end the escalation in Gaza.

The cabinet reviewed the outcome of the Geneva meetings aimed at reaching tangible and immediate steps to alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people and achieve a permanent cessation of hostilities, stressing that the Kingdom will continue to work with international partners until security and stability are restored in Sudan.

The cabinet highlighted the latest major local economic developments and relevant statistics and indicators, noting the 10.5% increase in non-oil exports in the second quarter of this year, compared to the same period in 2023.

It congratulated the winners of the 44th edition of the King Abdulaziz International Competition for Memorization, Recitation and Interpretation of the Holy Quran, underlining the Kingdom’s keenness, since its establishment, to serve the Quran, viewing this as the noblest of goals.

The cabinet also praised the success of the first edition of the Esports World Cup, which embodies efforts to boost the Kingdom’s position as a global destination for major sporting events and activities.



Kuwait Picks New Finance and Trade Ministers in Cabinet Shuffle

Haitham Al-Ali, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy, had attributed the power outages to a malfunction in the gas supply (KUNA)
Haitham Al-Ali, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy, had attributed the power outages to a malfunction in the gas supply (KUNA)
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Kuwait Picks New Finance and Trade Ministers in Cabinet Shuffle

Haitham Al-Ali, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy, had attributed the power outages to a malfunction in the gas supply (KUNA)
Haitham Al-Ali, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy, had attributed the power outages to a malfunction in the gas supply (KUNA)

Kuwait has named Nora Suleiman Al-Fassam and Khalifa Abdullah Ajeel as its new finance and trade ministers respectively, as part of a cabinet shuffle, according to a decree issued by the country's Emir on Sunday.
Al-Fassam, who was also appointed minister of state for economic and investment affairs, is a banker with extensive experience in corporate finance and investment banking.
She most recently served as chief strategy officer at Kuwait's Sharia-compliant Boubyan Bank, according to the country’s news agency, KUNA.
According to the bank’s website, the new minister has over 23 years of practical experience in corporate finance and investment banking services.
Al-Fassam also worked for several government and private entities, such as the Public Investment Authority and the National Bank of Kuwait.
She holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Kuwait University.
The new trade minister, Ajeel, headed Kuwait's State Bureau of Financial Control and was a member of the board of commissioners at the Capital Markets Authority.
Kuwait retained Mahmoud Bushehri as minister of electricity. But Bushehri lost the portfolio of Minister of State for Housing Affairs, which was offered to Abdullatif Hamed Hamad Al-Meshari.
The reshuffle comes a few days after a power crisis that led the Gulf state to impose scheduled outages in parts of the country due to a disruption in gas supplies although Kuwaiti officials have indicated there will be no further outages after the first wave in June.
Haitham Al-Ali, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy, had attributed the power outages to a malfunction in the gas supply.
During the summer, temperatures in Kuwait typically exceed 50 degrees Celsius leading to increased power consumption amid demand for cooling.