KING SALMAN: EAST JERUSALEM SHOULD BE PALESTINIAN CAPITAL
Organisation of Islamic Co-operation endorses Saudi leader’s line as Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed visits Riyadh
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed met Saudi Arabia’s King Salman in Riyadh yesterday to discuss bilateral ties and review the fallout from the US’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and King Salman discussed ways to find a just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue, state news agency Wam reported.
Earlier in the day, King Salman said Palestinians should have the right to Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem as their capital, echoing calls made during an emergency summit of leaders from the Islamic world taking place in Istanbul.
“The kingdom has called for a political solution to resolve regional crises, foremost of which is the Palestinian issue and the restoration of the Palestinian people’s legitimate rights, including the right to establish their independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital,” King Salman said in a speech to the kingdom’s consultative shura council.
His comments came as Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosted an emergency summit of the world’s main pan-Islamic body, the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC), in Istanbul, seeking a co-ordinated response to the change in US policy on Jerusalem announced by president Donald Trump last week.
In its final statement, the emergency summit declared “East Jerusalem as the capital of the state of Palestine” and invited “all countries to recognise the state of Palestine and East Jerusalem as its occupied capital”.
The leaders of Muslim countries also declared Mr Trump’s decision “null and void legally” and “a deliberate undermining of all peace efforts” that would give impetus to “extremism and terrorism”. The final statement said the OIC summit regarded Mr Trump’s move “as an announcement of the US administration’s withdrawal from its role as sponsor of peace” in the Middle East.
The step by Washington amounted to “encouragement of Israel ... to continue its policy of colonialism, settlement, apartheid and ethnic cleansing”, the leaders said.
The Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state and an international consensus has long held that the city’s status should be decided in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
At the OIC summit, Turkey criticised what it described as a weak Arab response on the issue of contested Jerusalem.
In his opening remarks, Mr Erdogan voiced the thoughts of many when addressing the Israel issue.
“Israel is a state of occupation. Besides this, Israel is a state of terror,” Mr Erdogan said. “I invite countries that claim international law and equity to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state under occupation.”
Mr Erdogan said Jerusalem was a “red line” for Muslims, who will not accept aggression against the city’s Islamic sanctuaries. “It is a must for countries that have not yet recognised the Palestinian state to take this important step, to maintain a balance that will ensure good sense and justice in the region,” he said.
Meanwhile, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas reiterated that Palestinians “from now on” will not accept any US role in the Middle East peace process. “Jerusalem is, and always will be, the capital of Palestine,” Mr Abbas said, adding that Washington was giving
King Salman of Saudi Arabia yesterday vowed that the country would confront corruption in a “fair and firm” manner to ensure that the private sector can play its full role in economic development.
“We have decided, with God’s help, to confront it with fairness and firmness so that our country can enjoy the renaissance and development that every citizen aspires for,” he said.
“Thus was our order to form a higher committee for public corruption issues headed by the crown prince, and thanks be to God that those are a few people.
“We strive to develop the present, build a future and move forward with modernisation.”
In November, Saudi Arabia launched an anti-corruption campaign that led to the detention of former and present high-ranking government officials, princes and tycoons.
The king said that corruption was one of the main threats to economic development.
He said the country would continue on its Vision 2030 path of economic reforms.