Thursday, December 21, 2017

Saudi King supports eastern J'lem as Palestinian state capital

Saudi King Salman on Wednesday pledged the kingdom's support for eastern Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian Arab state during talks in Riyadh with PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
 
The monarch asserted "the legitimate right of the Palestinian people in establishing their independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital," the SPA official news agency reported.
 
The visit comes after US President Donald Trump earlier this month recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, sparking riots across the Muslim world and in Europe.
 
On Monday, Abbas reiterated his opposition to any US role as broker between the two sides, saying "whoever allows the United States to return as a partner or mediator in the peace process is crazy."
 
Abbas has sent delegations to China and Russia to ask them to take a greater role in the peace process with Israel, an official said on Tuesday.