Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz said on Tuesday the kingdom was committed to defending Arab and Muslim causes including Palestine. In a speech to declare his political agenda King Salman, who ascended the throne after the death of his brother King Abdullah in January, said he would work to strengthen close Arab and Muslim cooperation "purifying the atmosphere and uniting the stance to confront the risks and challenges they face." "Defense of Arab and Islamic causes, and in the first place the right of the Palestinians to a state with Jerusalem (al-Quds) as its capital, will remain at the top of Saudi Arabia's demands," Salman said. "The Kingdom's foreign policy will continue to abide by international treaties, conventions and charters, including respecting the principle of sovereignty and rejecting any attempt of intervention in our internal affairs," he said. He stressed that the kingdom will work towards achieving "security and stability in the world, establish the principles of justice and peace along with the commitment to dialogue, resolve differences through peaceful means, and reject the use of force and violence or any actions that threaten international peace and security."
Palestinians are willing to create an independent state on the territories of the occupied West Bank and the besieged Gaza Strip with Jerusalem as its capital and ask for the Muslim world's support. Although the Israeli-Saudi relations are broken since the Arab-Israeli wars, the kingdom does not welcome the Palestinian factions, especially Hamas that governs Gaza Strip. Saudi Arabia was accused of remaining silent over Israel's destructive policies towards Palestine but the new king signaled that the kingdom's policy will change.
