Follow Me

Close

H.E. Mr Abdulrahman Alahmed, Saudi Ambassador to Belgium and Head of Mission to the EU, spoke on behalf of the Kingdom at the the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee for Coordination of Development Assistance for the Palestinian Authority on 4 May in Brussels. The full text of his speech is given below.


In the name of God the Most Graceful the Most Merciful

 

Chairperson,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

At the outset, we welcome the convening of this meeting, wishing success in its work and deliberations.

 

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reiterates its firm support for the Palestinian people and its inalienable rights, foremost of which is the right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent and fully sovereign Palestinian State, in the occupied Palestinian territories since 1964, including Jerusalem, in accordance with the Constitution of the United Nations, its relevant resolutions and International legal standards and principles.
Saudi Arabia also calls for the withdrawal of Israel from all the Arab-occupied territories and an end to the construction of settlements on the Palestinian territories, which are illegal and present a serious obstacle to peace.

 

In 2002, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia presented its historic Peace Initiative, which has been adopted by the Beirut Arab Summit and became an Arab initiative for peace that was equally adopted by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. It represented an important and historic turning point in the peace process, and set in motion a new phase to end the Arab-Israeli conflict, in addition to laying the foundation for a comprehensive and just peace, where Palestinians, Israelis and all people of the region live in harmony, security and prosperity.

 

The Amman Declaration, issued by the last Arab Countries’ Summit in March, reaffirms this initiative, strengthens the commitment of the Arab side, and calls on the Israeli side to initiate a response for peace.

 

The Palestinian issue is at the centre of the conflict in the Middle East, and is the focal point of all conflicts in the region. One of the most dangerous aspects of the conflict in Palestine are Israel’s plans to make the city of Jerusalem exclusively Jewish; to change its demographic structure, distort its Arab-Islamic identity and tamper with its Islamic holy sites.

 

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia rejects any violation of Jerusalem and any attempt to circumvent the historical and religious status of 1.5 billion Muslims. The Kingdom firmly denounces any attempt to change its legal status, admit it as the capital of Israel, or transfer any embassy to it. We call on all States to abide by international resolutions in this regard.

 

Since the inception of the Palestinian cause, Saudi Arabia has committed itself to providing material and moral support to the Palestinian Authority. This support, both bilateral or through International Organizations, underpins the steadfastness of the brotherly Palestinian people at all political, economic and humanitarian levels, either as humanitarian aid relief or as a support for reconstruction programs, in various sectors such as education, health, infrastructure and many more. In this respect, the Government of Saudi Arabia paid its full share up to March 2017, which brings the total amount paid to support the Palestinian budget, to more than 2.3 billion US dollars since 2002.

 

In this regard, we emphasize on how to improve the regularity of financial resources provided to the Palestinian Authority. In addition, the most pressing step to be made in this endeavour is to regulate and maintain the monthly transfers of tax revenues collected by Israel on behalf of the Palestinian Authority. The International Community should work to achieve that goal, as donors cannot step in each time Israel stops paying tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority.

 

The time has come to give the people of Palestine a peaceful and secure life. We call on all donor countries to fulfil their commitments. The international community must act to open the crossings as soon as possible, to ensure that they remain open so that donors can implement their plans and programs for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, taking into consideration that the financial support alone is not the sole solution to the problem of the Palestinians. Political support, especially from the international community, is required now: to resolve the Palestinian issue; to achieve real, lasting justice; to improve the economic, social and development conditions of the Palestinian people; and to seek lasting peace in Palestine and in the broader region.

Thank you.

 

His Excellency Mr Abdulrahman Bin Sulaiman Alahmed
Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the Kingdom of Belgium, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and Head of the Mission to the European Union

The kingdom of Saudi Arabia Welcomes  the proposals put forth by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on a final settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict:
Saudi Arabia views the proposals as being in accord with the majority of the resolutions of international legality and most of the elements of the Arab Peace Initiative adopted at the Arab Summit in Beirut in 2002 and by the Islamic Summit in Makkah in 2005, and that the proposals represent an appropriate basis for achieving a final settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

  • January 3, 2017

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, through the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), has contributed US$ 67 million for projects to be implemented in Gaza, the West Bank and Jordan. The three agreements were signed today by the SFD Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, H.E. Eng. Yousef al-Bassam, and the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Pierre Krähenbühl.

The first agreement, valued at US$ 28 million, will support ongoing projects, including the reconstruction of shelters in Gaza. The second agreement, valued at US$ 32 million, will assist UNRWA in the reconstruction and furnishing of several health centres and schools in the West Bank and the implementation of several other ongoing projects. The third agreement, valued at US$ 7 million, will provide funds for the reconstruction, furnishing and equipping of two health centres and one school in Jordan.

H.E. Eng. al-Bassam said: “We are a proud partner of UNRWA, which is doing an excellent job of transparently portraying the true situation of Palestine refugees. We shall continue to support UNRWA and we look forward as always to witnessing the impact of these projects on Palestine refugees.”

Expressing his gratitude, Mr. Krähenbühl said: “I am extremely grateful to the government and the people of Saudi Arabia for the sustained support that the Kingdom has extended to UNRWA over the years. The Kingdom has always been forthcoming in its support towards Palestine refugees. I would like to express particular appreciation for the role played by the Saudi Fund for Development in delivering Saudi assistance. Our partnership with the Fund is of high importance to the Agency and deeply appreciated.”

In 2016 alone, Saudi Arabia has contributed more than US$ 150 million to UNRWA, making the Kingdom the second largest donor after the United States. Saudi Arabia has also been a valued member of the UNRWA Advisory Commission, which advises and assists the Commissioner-General in carrying out the Agency’s mandate, since 2005.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

UNRWA is confronted with an increased demand for services resulting from a growth in the number of registered Palestine refugees, the extent of their vulnerability and their deepening poverty. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions and financial support has been outpaced by the growth in needs. As a result, the UNRWA Programme Budget, which supports the delivery of core essential services, operates with a large shortfall. UNRWA encourages all Member States to work collectively to exert all possible efforts to fully fund the Agency’s Programme Budget. UNRWA emergency programmes and key projects, also operating with large shortfalls, are funded through separate funding portals.

UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and mandated to provide assistance and protection to some 5 million registered Palestine refugees. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip achieve their full human development potential, pending a just and lasting solution to their plight. UNRWA services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, protection and microfinance.

  • November 30, 2016

november

 

KSA Mission Newsletter November 2016

This issue covers, amongst other things, the recent visit to Brussels of Dr Al-Rabeeah of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, our commitment to implementing the Paris Climate Agreement, the Saudi view on Iranian aggression and the controversial US JASTA bill, and our support of the UN’s World Food Program.

 

 

 

Addressing the 71st session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Naif, Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, told today that defeating terrorism is a priority for Saudi Arabia, which “has been among the primary victims of terrorism” going back many years.

Prince Mohammad said that the Kingdom has been the target of more than 100 terrorist operations since 1992, “including 18 carried out by elements with links to ‘a regional country.’”

The Crown Prince said that the Kingdom has “exerted strenuous efforts…to bring about peace and lay the foundations for security and stability since joining the organization, not just in our region, but also all over the world.”

“Saudi security apparatuses have also managed to detect 268 terrorist operations and thwarted them before they took place,” he said.

Prince Mohammad cited specifically the laws, regulations and other measures the Kingdom has enacted to criminalize the support and financing of acts of terrorism and “signed on to more than 12 international [counter terrorism] agreements.”

Prince Mohammad highlighted the Kingdom’s role in the formation of the multi-country Islamic Military Alliance to combat terrorism as well as the agreement Saudi Arabia signed with the U.S. to launch the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Center and the Kingdom’s pledge of $110 million to the center to help build its capabilities and effectiveness in helping countries combat terrorism.

Prince Mohammad also called for an end of Israeli occupation of Palestinian land, condemning Israel’s “acts of aggression.”

The Crown Prince told the General Assembly that the Kingdom fully supports reaching a political solution in Yemen.

Prince Mohammad called for an end to the fighting in Syria and renewed efforts to find a political solution to the crisis according to the decisions of Geneva 1. Saudi Arabia has provided shelter for hundreds of thousands of Syrian people since the beginning of the crisis, including free health care, and access to the labor market and education.

Turning to Iran, Prince Mohammad said Saudi Arabia called on Iran to “build relations with its neighbors on the basis of the principles of good neighborliness and non-interference in the internal affairs of other states.”

  • September 22, 2016