Saudi Foreign Minister Addresses OIC Meeting on Gaza

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah
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Saudi Foreign Minister Addresses OIC Meeting on Gaza

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah participated in the 21st Extraordinary Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states in Jeddah, where he delivered a speech addressing the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people.

Prince Faisal emphasized the OIC's solidarity with Palestine and condemned the heinous acts of killing, starvation, displacement, and genocide committed by Israeli forces. He said these acts pose the greatest threat to security and peace, stressing the need for OIC member states to unify their positions and develop cooperation mechanisms to confront this threat, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.

He urged the international community to immediately put an end to the Israeli crimes, categorically reject their declared intention to impose full military control over the Gaza Strip, and firmly confront plans to displace the Palestinian people from their land.

He stressed the importance of taking all necessary steps to break the siege and allow the entry of relief and humanitarian aid into the Strip in full cooperation with international mechanisms. He also demanded that the occupation forces open all crossings to allow aid to enter and pass urgently without obstruction.

The minister called for supporting UNRWA and other United Nations agencies operating in the occupied Palestinian territories. He urged the international community to combine its efforts to assist the Palestinian people in building their capacities and empowering their national institutions by backing the Palestinian National Authority and its reform measures.

He expressed the Kingdom's condemnation of recent Israeli statements regarding the "greater Israel vision" and its complete rejection of settlement and expansionist projects. He reaffirmed the Palestinian people's historical right to establish an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on the 1967 borders.

Prince Faisal also expressed support for Egyptian and Qatari efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and facilitate the rapid delivery of humanitarian aid. He cited the ongoing work of the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee, which was formed during the extraordinary Arab-Islamic summits in Riyadh, to communicate with influential countries around the world.

Prince Faisal noted that the Kingdom welcomes the growing international consensus in support of the two-state solution, particularly through the efforts of the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution and the International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France.

He stated that the increasing number of countries recognizing Palestine, including those in Europe, the Americas, and Oceania, proves that Israeli violations are rejected by the international community. He added that countries still hesitant to condemn and stop these violations must realize that the realities of the Israeli occupation and its expansionist policies are no longer hidden.

The minister concluded stressing that the continued Israeli violations without accountability or punishment undermines the international order and the principles of international law. He stated that such actions destroy opportunities for international cooperation and legitimacy, and are likely to expand the circle of conflict, threatening security and peace not only in the region but across the world.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Minister for International Multilateral Affairs and General Supervisor of the Public Diplomacy Deputyship Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Rassi; Advisor to the Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Prince Musab bin Mohammed Al Farhan; and Saudi Permanent Representative to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Saleh Hamad Al-Suhaibani.



Al-Wali to Asharq Al-Awsat: Riyadh Talks a Pivotal Moment for Yemen’s Southern Cause

Former Yemeni minister and veteran southern politician Abdel Nasser Al-Wali speaks to Asharq Al-Awsat.
Former Yemeni minister and veteran southern politician Abdel Nasser Al-Wali speaks to Asharq Al-Awsat.
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Al-Wali to Asharq Al-Awsat: Riyadh Talks a Pivotal Moment for Yemen’s Southern Cause

Former Yemeni minister and veteran southern politician Abdel Nasser Al-Wali speaks to Asharq Al-Awsat.
Former Yemeni minister and veteran southern politician Abdel Nasser Al-Wali speaks to Asharq Al-Awsat.

Former Yemeni minister and veteran southern politician Abdel Nasser Al-Wali described the meeting of Yemen’s southern leaders in Riyadh for consultations and dialogue on their cause on Sunday as a pivotal moment in its history, calling for the opening created by Saudi Arabia to be channeled into a political process that delivers lasting peace.

Speaking on the Asharq Al-Awsat podcast with Gulf affairs editor Badr Al-Qahtani, Al-Wali said Riyadh was not merely a diplomatic stop, but a place close to the heart of the Arab and Islamic worlds, offering a chance to correct past shortcomings in conveying the southern voice.

The veteran Yemeni politician said southerners now faced a “huge opportunity” under Saudi sponsorship, noting that Riyadh had taken the initiative to invite discussions on the issue and “left the matter in our hands.”

He pointed to Saudi Arabia’s role in bringing the parties together without imposing guardianship and in supporting whatever they agree upon without interference.

He said Saudi assurances had been explicit: “The opinion is yours, the decision is yours. We are sponsors and will not impose anything on you. Raise your ceiling to the sky.”

Al-Wali said a message from Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman was clear and direct.

“The southern cause is just, with historical and social dimensions, and the Kingdom will not abandon the people of the south and will stand with their will,” he remarked.

“It is enough for the southern voice to reach Saudi Arabia, and for it to understand the justice of the pain that has accumulated since unification,” he stressed.

On preparations for the Riyadh Conference for Yemeni southern dialogue, Al-Wali said discussions would address the shape of the state and its system “with an open ceiling,” to be decided by consensus without exclusion.

The focus was on restoring the state as a path toward dignity, security, stability, development, and prosperity for people, he went on to say.

“The South has room for everyone. There are no intentions of marginalization or exclusion. Any other projects are not sidelined, but discussed,” he assured.

Al-Wali addressed a message to the southern people, saying: “Trust us. We represent in Riyadh those who authorized us,” in a reference to not compromising the cause or taking decisions that contradict popular will.

In another message, he said: “The Saudis will find from the southerners only what pleases God and pleases them, while preserving the bonds of neighborhood, blood, kinship, and shared interests.”

Turning to the roots of the issue, Al-Wali said Yemeni unity had not been an “invasion” or imposed by force, but a voluntary move toward Sanaa “with open hearts,” in the hope of a larger state, a broader economy, and deeper development.

He said that if the price of stability, calm, and development were Yemen’s return to two states, then it would be better, in his view, to have two neighboring states bound by affection, with flexible and smooth economic and social relations and strong fraternal ties, rather than antagonism that “paralyzed both peoples.”

Outlining his vision for a future state, Al-Wali presented the contours of a “federal southern state” that would grant governorates room to contribute to development, investment, and wealth, with equality in rights and duties and fairness in the distribution of resources so that they reach all who deserve them.

He reiterated the centrality of Saudi Arabia’s role, saying the Kingdom’s weight was “very balanced” regionally and globally, and that its engagement represented a historic opportunity to achieve peace “without it being followed by war.”

Asked how he found Riyadh, Al-Wali replied: “As I have always known it. A country of security and stability. Calm and serenity. Love and peace. You come to it, your soul settles, and you feel reassured.”

“Their promises are sincere and are not broken,” he stressed.


Saudi Arabia and Ecuador Sign General Cooperation Agreement

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and his Ecuadorian counterpart Gabriela Sommerfeld meet in Davos on Wednesday. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and his Ecuadorian counterpart Gabriela Sommerfeld meet in Davos on Wednesday. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia and Ecuador Sign General Cooperation Agreement

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and his Ecuadorian counterpart Gabriela Sommerfeld meet in Davos on Wednesday. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and his Ecuadorian counterpart Gabriela Sommerfeld meet in Davos on Wednesday. (SPA)

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah held talks on Wednesday with his Ecuadorian counterpart Gabriela Sommerfeld on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos.

They reviewed relations between their countries and ways to boost them in various fields. They also exchanged views on a number of topics of mutual interest.

Following the meeting, the ministers signed a general cooperation agreement between their respective governments aimed at strengthening relations between their countries and advancing them toward broader horizons.


Saudi Arabia’s KSrelief Delivers Winter Clothing to Students in Gaza’s Khan Younis

KSrelief distributes winter clothing to school students in the Al-Mawasi area of southern Gaza’s Khan Younis. (SPA)
KSrelief distributes winter clothing to school students in the Al-Mawasi area of southern Gaza’s Khan Younis. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia’s KSrelief Delivers Winter Clothing to Students in Gaza’s Khan Younis

KSrelief distributes winter clothing to school students in the Al-Mawasi area of southern Gaza’s Khan Younis. (SPA)
KSrelief distributes winter clothing to school students in the Al-Mawasi area of southern Gaza’s Khan Younis. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) distributed winter clothing to school students in the Al-Mawasi area of southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Wednesday.

The gesture is part of the Saudi campaign to support the Palestinian people in Gaza.

Field teams from the Saudi Center for Culture and Heritage, the implementing partner of KSrelief in Gaza, carried out the distribution alongside interactive and recreational activities for the students.

The campaign reflects Saudi Arabia’s unwavering commitment, through KSrelief, to supporting the Palestinian people during crises and hardships, embodying the Kingdom’s noble humanitarian mission.