Saudi Arabia Reviews Ongoing Efforts to Establish Palestinian State

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting in Riyadh on Tuesday. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting in Riyadh on Tuesday. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Reviews Ongoing Efforts to Establish Palestinian State

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting in Riyadh on Tuesday. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting in Riyadh on Tuesday. (SPA)

The Saudi government reviewed on Tuesday ongoing Arab-Islamic efforts to support the establishment of a Palestinian state, restore the Palestinians’ legitimate rights, and the Israeli forces' violations of international and humanitarian laws.

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

Crown Prince Mohammed briefed the cabinet on his recent meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. They discussed bilateral cooperation and ways to boost it, as well as current regional and international developments, focusing on collaborative efforts to promote security and stability.

The cabinet reviewed the outcomes of Saudi Arabia's participation in various meetings, where discussions emphasized the Kingdom's commitment to fostering joint international action aiming to achieve progress in various fields and contribute to efforts that bring about global development and economic prosperity.

It commended the outcomes of the 161st session of the Ministerial Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the meetings GCC held with Russia, India and Brazil. It underscored the Kingdom's dedication to advancing Gulf cooperation at all levels and to supporting initiatives taken to strengthen Gulf ties with other countries.

The cabinet reviewed the outcomes of the OPEC+ meeting, during which the Kingdom and seven other members agreed to extend voluntary production cuts by 2.2 million barrels per day until November 2024.

The cabinet highlighted the International Monetary Fund's Article IV Consultation report that praised Saudi Arabia's leading role in international cooperation and progress toward achieving Vision 2030 goals. The IMF also acknowledged the Kingdom's efforts to diversify its economy, expand its economy base, and implement comprehensive structural reforms.

Moreover, the cabinet acknowledged the success of the recent Fintech conference, held in Riyadh, and the promising developments shown on the occasion, which reflect Saudi Arabia's aspirations to become a global fintech hub.

It praised Saudi Arabia's successful bid to host the 6th UN World Data Forum in 2026 granted in recognition to the Kingdom's achievements in the statistical sector and its track record in hosting successful international events.

The cabinet also hailedthe efforts of the Aligned for Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan group to alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people, expand the delivery of humanitarian aid, and work toward a ceasefire agreement.



Trump Heads on ‘Historic’ Gulf Tour

Saudi and US flags flutter on a main road in Riyadh on May 12, 2025, ahead of a visit by US President Donald Trump this week. (AFP)
Saudi and US flags flutter on a main road in Riyadh on May 12, 2025, ahead of a visit by US President Donald Trump this week. (AFP)
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Trump Heads on ‘Historic’ Gulf Tour

Saudi and US flags flutter on a main road in Riyadh on May 12, 2025, ahead of a visit by US President Donald Trump this week. (AFP)
Saudi and US flags flutter on a main road in Riyadh on May 12, 2025, ahead of a visit by US President Donald Trump this week. (AFP)

US President Donald Trump on Monday left for Saudi Arabia on what he called a "historic" tour of the Middle East that will mix urgent diplomacy on Gaza and Iran with huge business deals.

Air Force One took off on a journey that starts in Saudi Arabia and includes stops in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates -- and possibly talks in Türkiye on the Ukraine war.

Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza will hang heavy over the first major tour of Trump's second term -- but in one sign of progress, US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander was handed over to the Red Cross just as the president boarded his plane.

"It's big news," Trump said at the White House shortly before departing. "He's coming home to his parents, which is really great news. They thought he was dead."

Trump has in recent weeks seemed to cool on his efforts to end the Gaza war -- despite boasting before taking office that he would be able to bring the conflict to a swift end.

Trump said there were "very good things happening" on talks between Washington and Tehran over Iran's nuclear ambitions -- though he added that Iran "can't have a nuclear weapon."

The US president said that he hoped for more developments on Gaza during his trip to the Gulf, noting that his tour involved "three primary countries" in the region.

Riyadh will host on Wednesday a Gulf-American summit as Trump visits the region.

The summit will bring together the US president with his counterparts from the Arab Gulf.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz sent on Sunday invitations to the leaders of Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman to attend the summit.