Oman, Qatar Emphasize Importance of GCC in Enhancing Regional Security

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tarik, in Doha on Tuesday. (Omani news agency)
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tarik, in Doha on Tuesday. (Omani news agency)
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Oman, Qatar Emphasize Importance of GCC in Enhancing Regional Security

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tarik, in Doha on Tuesday. (Omani news agency)
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tarik, in Doha on Tuesday. (Omani news agency)

Qatar and the Sultanate of Oman affirmed the importance of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in enhancing the security and stability of the region, as well as their keenness to advance bilateral relations and strengthen economic and military cooperation.

Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tarik concluded on Tuesday a two-day state visit to Doha, where he met with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

The two officials held extensive talks that reviewed means to develop bilateral relations and exchanged views on a number of regional and international issues.

The Qatar News Agency (QNA) said that the discussions reflected the depth of bilateral relations.

A joint statement was issued on Tuesday, underlining the “necessity of strengthening consultation and coordination of positions at the bilateral level and in various regional and international forums, in order to serve Arab and Islamic affairs, support just humanitarian causes, mainly the Palestinian cause, and enhance security and stability in the Middle East and the world.”

The statement added that the Sultan of Oman and the Emir of Qatar emphasized “the distinguished relations of cooperation and partnership that bring the two countries together in all fields, as well as their common desire to cooperate in clean energy and exchange expertise to curb climate change.”

The two sides stressed that the real and diverse opportunities in the two countries constitute a solid basis for strengthening relations, increasing investment opportunities, establishing partnerships, and implementing value-added projects in many sectors, as well as raising and diversifying the volume of trade exchange, and promoting the role of the private sector in order to achieve common interests, the statement said.

It also noted that the two countries signed agreements on military cooperation and the avoidance of double taxation, in addition to cooperation agreements on investment and hospitality and a memorandum of understanding on labor and human resource development.



Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Arrives in Jeddah

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. (SPA file)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. (SPA file)
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Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Arrives in Jeddah

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. (SPA file)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. (SPA file)

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud arrived in Jeddah on Tuesday coming from Riyadh.

At King Abdulaziz International Airport, he was received by Deputy Governor of Makkah Region Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz.

King Salman was accompanied by several princes and senior officials.

At King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, King Salman was seen off by Governor of Riyadh Region Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz and Deputy Governor of Riyadh Region Prince Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz.


Saudi Arabia Declares Wednesday First Day of Ramadan

 Saudi Arabia declares Wednesday the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. (Majmaah University)
Saudi Arabia declares Wednesday the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. (Majmaah University)
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Saudi Arabia Declares Wednesday First Day of Ramadan

 Saudi Arabia declares Wednesday the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. (Majmaah University)
Saudi Arabia declares Wednesday the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. (Majmaah University)

Saudi Arabia declared on Tuesday that the holy fasting month of Ramadan will begin on Wednesday.

Qatar and the United Arab Emirates also declared that Ramadan will begin on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court had on Sunday urged Muslims across the Kingdom to sight the crescent moon that signals the advent of Ramadan on Tuesday evening.


Saudi Arabia, Arab and Islamic Countries Condemn Israel’s 'State Land' Decision in West Bank 

The West Bank village of al-Ram is pictured behind Israel's controversial separation barrier from the outskirts of Jerusalem on February 16, 2026. (AFP)
The West Bank village of al-Ram is pictured behind Israel's controversial separation barrier from the outskirts of Jerusalem on February 16, 2026. (AFP)
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Saudi Arabia, Arab and Islamic Countries Condemn Israel’s 'State Land' Decision in West Bank 

The West Bank village of al-Ram is pictured behind Israel's controversial separation barrier from the outskirts of Jerusalem on February 16, 2026. (AFP)
The West Bank village of al-Ram is pictured behind Israel's controversial separation barrier from the outskirts of Jerusalem on February 16, 2026. (AFP)

The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt, and Türkiye strongly condemned on Tuesday Israel's decision to designate lands in the occupied West Bank as so-called "state land".

They also slammed it for approving procedures for the registration and settlement of land ownership across extensive areas of the occupied West Bank for the first time since 1967.

They condemned the moves as “a grave escalation aimed at accelerating illegal settlement activity, land confiscation, entrenching Israeli control, and applying unlawful Israeli sovereignty over the Occupied Palestinian Territory and undermining the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.”

These measures are “a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention, as well as a violation of relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, foremost among them Resolution 2334,” the FMs said in a statement.

“The decision also contradicts the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice concerning the legal consequences arising from Israeli policies and practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which underscored the illegality of measures intended to alter the legal, historical, and demographic status of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the obligation to end the occupation, and the prohibition of the acquisition of territory by force,” they added.

“This step reflects an attempt to impose a new legal and administrative reality designed to consolidate control over the occupied land, thereby undermining the two-state solution, eroding the prospects for the establishment of an independent and viable Palestinian State, and jeopardizing the attainment of a just and comprehensive peace in the region,” they warned.

The foreign ministers reiterated their “categorical rejection of all unilateral measures aimed at altering the legal, demographic, and historical status of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”

They stressed that such policies are “a dangerous escalation that will further heighten tensions and instability in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the region as a whole.”

They called on the international community “to assume its responsibilities and take clear and decisive steps to halt these violations, ensure respect for international law, and safeguard the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among them their right to self-determination, ending the occupation, and establishing their independent and sovereign State based on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.”