JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia yesterday condemned the Israeli plan to evict 1,500 Palestinians from the Al-Bustan neighborhood of Jerusalem and urged the international community’s urgent intervention to stop human rights violations by the Jewish state.
The Council of Ministers, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, said the continuing construction of Jewish settlements by Israel in the occupied territories represented a major obstacle to realizing peace in the Middle East.
The Cabinet statement comes after the Jerusalem municipality served notices to the residents of Al-Bustan to vacate their homes within 72 hours. The municipality claimed the houses in the area were built without permits, ignoring the fact that most of them were constructed before 1967.
Referring to the international conference in Cairo to mobilize funds for the reconstruction of Gaza, the Cabinet said: “Saudi Arabia hopes the conference will realize its objectives.” The Kingdom offered $1 billion to the fund during the Arab Economic Summit on Jan. 19 in Kuwait.
The Cabinet meeting at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh also discussed the trial of suspects involved in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri at the International Court in The Hague and hoped the trial would bring the criminals to justice.
King Abdullah thanked God for the success of the surgical operation recently performed on Crown Prince Sultan at a New York hospital. He wished the crown prince a speedy recovery and good health.
Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja said the Cabinet also discussed the Heritage and Culture Festival in Janadriyah as well as the International Book Exhibition in Riyadh. King Abdullah will open the Janadriyah festival tomorrow. About 650 publishing houses from around the world will take part in the book show that opens today.
“These cultural activities reflect the state’s desire and keenness to patronize cultural and educational movements, and the Kingdom’s position in the comity of nations as a center of Arab and Islamic culture,” Khoja told the Saudi Press Agency.
The Cabinet adopted a series of measures to preserve the architectural heritage and historic buildings in different parts of the Kingdom. It urged greater coordination between the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities and other government departments in order to provide services and facilities required by selected heritage villages and neighborhoods.
Owners of heritage buildings and sites will be given licenses to carry out suitable investment projects. They will also receive loans from the Saudi Credit Bank for the renovation and maintenance of their buildings.
The Cabinet also approved a change in the air transport agreement between Saudi Arabia and Indonesia.
