Saudi Aid to Palestine Amounts to $6 Billion in 17 Years

KSRelief General Supervisor Abdullah Al-Rabeeah holds a meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in New York. (SPA)
KSRelief General Supervisor Abdullah Al-Rabeeah holds a meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in New York. (SPA)
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Saudi Aid to Palestine Amounts to $6 Billion in 17 Years

KSRelief General Supervisor Abdullah Al-Rabeeah holds a meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in New York. (SPA)
KSRelief General Supervisor Abdullah Al-Rabeeah holds a meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in New York. (SPA)

Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah, Advisor to the Royal Court and General Supervisor of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) said that the total amount of aid provided by Saudi Arabia to the Palestinian people over the last 17 years exceeded $6 billion (23 billion Saudi riyals), in addition to the assistance offered by the National Committee for the Relief of the Palestinian People.
 
In a press statement, the Saudi official noted that the Kingdom has provided “ongoing and extensive support” to the people of Palestine, adding that between 2000 and 2018, Saudi aid and development support has exceeded $6 billion.
 
Among the Kingdom’s partners in delivering assistance in Palestine are various UN agencies, the Saudi National Committee for the Relief of the Palestinian People, and national and international NGOs, according to Rabeeah.
 
He added that Saudi Arabia has provided aid to the Palestinian people in several assistance categories, which included development aid, exceeding $4.5 billion, humanitarian aid, nearly reaching $1.1 billion, and philanthropic assistance that amounted to $17.3 million.
 
An amount of $200 million was also pledged by the Kingdom, including $50 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and $150 million to support the Palestinian Waqf Program in Jerusalem.
 
Rabeeah underlined that the most important development assistance provided by the Kingdom was a $263.17 million project to build and renovate housing units in Palestinian refugee camps in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, as well as Ain Al Hilweh and Nahr Al Bared refugee camps.
 
The Kingdom also funded a $107 million housing project in Rafah (Phase I), implemented through UNRWA, for the construction of an integrated residential city, including 752 housing units for 4,564 people, four schools, a health center, a cultural center, a mall, a mosque, paved roads, street lights and water supply facilities.
 
Phase II of the same Rafah project included 765 housing units for 4,761 people, two schools, a mosque, and electricity and water supply infrastructure.
 
Saudi Arabia’s programs to assist the Palestinians were provided either directly by the Kingdom, or in collaboration with KSrelief’s partners, including international organizations and UN agencies such as UNRWA, WFP, UNICEF, UNFPA, and UNESCO, the Saudi official said.



Saudi Arabia Chairs 118th Session of the Arab League’s Economic and Social Council

Arab League foreign ministers meet during an annual meeting in Cairo, Egypt. File/AP
Arab League foreign ministers meet during an annual meeting in Cairo, Egypt. File/AP
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Saudi Arabia Chairs 118th Session of the Arab League’s Economic and Social Council

Arab League foreign ministers meet during an annual meeting in Cairo, Egypt. File/AP
Arab League foreign ministers meet during an annual meeting in Cairo, Egypt. File/AP

The Economic and Social Council of the League of Arab States held its 118th ministerial session on Thursday under the chairmanship of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Saudi Assistant Minister of Finance for Macro-Fiscal Policies and International Relations Eng. Abdullah bin Zaraah presided over the session at the League’s General Secretariat headquarters in Cairo, with representatives of member states participating.

The meeting addressed several economic and social issues of common Arab interest as part of efforts to enhance cooperation among member states, support development, promote intra-Arab trade, and expand opportunities for regional integration and growth.

In the Kingdom's statement, bin Zaraah affirmed that joint Arab economic and social action is a key pillar for strengthening collective capacity to address challenges and capitalize on opportunities.

He stressed the importance of moving beyond coordination and the exchange of views toward implementation and tangible results by strengthening implementation and follow-up mechanisms, and linking decisions and initiatives to clear objectives and measurable indicators.

He also called for enhanced coordination among institutions of joint Arab action and specialized Arab organizations, while directing resources and capabilities toward the highest-impact priorities.

He also highlighted the Kingdom's national achievements, noting that the World Bank Group's World Development Report 2026 ranked the Kingdom among the world's top 10 countries in private investment in artificial intelligence and recognized its advanced position in the global AI landscape.


Saudi Arabia Offers Yemen’s Central Bank New Support to Bolster Economic Stability

The Central Bank of Yemen in the interim capital Aden. (Government media)
The Central Bank of Yemen in the interim capital Aden. (Government media)
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Saudi Arabia Offers Yemen’s Central Bank New Support to Bolster Economic Stability

The Central Bank of Yemen in the interim capital Aden. (Government media)
The Central Bank of Yemen in the interim capital Aden. (Government media)

Saudi Arabia has provided new support to the Central Bank of Yemen as part of its ongoing efforts to stabilize the country's economy and financial sector, following directives from the Kingdom's leadership.

The Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen (SDRPY) said the assistance aims to strengthen economic, financial, and monetary stability. It is also designed to build the capacity of government institutions while improving governance and transparency.

The support further aims to enable the private sector to contribute to sustainable economic growth, create job opportunities, and drive socio-economic development.

The SDRPY noted that this assistance will contribute to boosting purchasing power, improving living standards, and stimulating commercial activity. Additionally, it aims to create an environment conducive to sustainable economic recovery and development in Yemen.

The new support builds on Saudi Arabia's continuous economic and developmental assistance to Yemen. In February, the Kingdom provided 1.3 billion riyals to support the Yemeni budget for operational expenses and salaries, followed by another installment of over 224 million riyals in June for the same purpose.

The SDRPY, established in 2018, implements projects and initiatives across various development sectors, in addition to providing institutional and technical support to build the capacity of Yemeni government institutions.


Saudi Arabia Advances Gulf Food Security Cooperation at 38th GCC Committee Meeting in Bahrain

The committee commended Saudi Arabia for its role in developing the GCC Food Security Strategy  - SPA
The committee commended Saudi Arabia for its role in developing the GCC Food Security Strategy - SPA
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Saudi Arabia Advances Gulf Food Security Cooperation at 38th GCC Committee Meeting in Bahrain

The committee commended Saudi Arabia for its role in developing the GCC Food Security Strategy  - SPA
The committee commended Saudi Arabia for its role in developing the GCC Food Security Strategy - SPA

Saudi Arabia participated in the 38th Meeting of the GCC Committee for Agricultural Cooperation and Food Security in Bahrain, with a delegation led by General Food Security Authority President Eng. Ahmad Alfares, where it reviewed progress in implementing the GCC Food Security Strategy, as part of efforts to deepen coordination and integration among member states and build a more resilient regional food security system capable of maintaining stable agricultural and food supply chains.

The committee commended Saudi Arabia for its role in developing the GCC Food Security Strategy and preparing a comprehensive framework for a regional plant genetic resources bank. It also recognized Saudi Arabia's efforts to establish early-warning mechanisms to monitor and analyze indicators linked to food supply chains, SPA reported.

The meeting addressed a range of issues affecting agriculture, livestock, fisheries, and food security across the GCC. Officials also reviewed a report on a consultancy project examining modern technologies and artificial intelligence applications in farm management and agricultural productivity across the Gulf states.

The project is being carried out in cooperation with the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).

The committee also followed up on decisions from its 34th meeting and reviewed the implementation of resolutions adopted at its 37th meeting. Several unified regulations, laws, and implementing rules were approved during the session.

Saudi Arabia's participation underscores its efforts to strengthen an integrated Gulf food security framework and enhance coordination among GCC members as regional and global developments affect agricultural production and food supply chains.

At the conclusion of the meeting, Saudi Arabia announced that it will host and chair the committee's 39th meeting and continue working with GCC partners to expand cooperation. Saudi Arabia also thanked Bahrain for hosting the meeting and commended efforts to ensure its success.