Foreign policy unchanged under King Salman

February 3, 2015

Riyadh, Feb 3: Chairing his first Cabinet meeting as monarch and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques on Monday, King Salman said that Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy would remain in place.

Saudi Arabia’s policies in relation to Arab, Muslim and international countries “will remain unchanged,” the king said during an address to the Cabinet. “We will work hard in the service of Islam, for the betterment of our loyal and noble people and support Arab and Islamic causes,” he said.

“We’ll also work to promote international peace, security and global economic growth and pray to the Almighty to help us shoulder this responsibility and trust in a way that pleases Him,” the king said.

At the outset of the meeting, King Salman said he shared the pain of the Saudi people, and Muslim and Arab nations, over the death of King Abdullah, and prayed for Allah’s mercy and forgiveness for the late king. He thanked world leaders for their condolences.

King Salman noted King Abdullah’s contributions including the expansion of the two holy mosques, the dissemination of the Holy Qur’an, and his prominent role in supporting justice across the world.

“We and the whole world have lost a unique leader who committed his life to achieving overall prosperity for his country and its people, including building edifices of science, finance and knowledge ...”

He said King Abdullah had always supported the rights of the oppressed and made a “brave and effective contribution for the consolidation of peace, security and stability throughout the world.”

King Salman said he would continue to abide by the policies set out by King Abdul Aziz and the other rulers who followed him. This includes adhering to Islamic precepts.

King Salman praised the Saudi people for standing united in times of difficulty. This attitude would ensure a bright and prosperous future for the country, he said.

New Minister of Culture and Information Adel Al-Toraifi said that King Salman welcomed the new ministers including Crown Prince Muqrin and Prince Mohammed bin Naif, who was appointed as deputy crown prince and still holds the Ministry of Interior portfolio.

The king thanked the former ministers for their contribution and urged the new ministers to put the interests of the nation and citizens at the top of their priorities.

King Salman briefed the Cabinet on the outcome of his talks with US President Barack Obama, which he said was aimed at expanding bilateral relations in all areas.

After reviewing a report submitted by the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution (BIPP), the Cabinet approved amendments to several of the organization’s regulations.

The Cabinet urged the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities to license buildings to house Umrah pilgrims and visitors in Makkah and Madinah, provided they fulfill municipal and Civil Defense requirements. The move is to encourage investment in such buildings.

The Cabinet approved the Ministry of Finance’s system to extend loans for hotel and tourism projects that are established in less developed cities and provinces or in new tourist destinations. The maximum limit of the loan shall be equivalent to 50 percent of the project cost and not exceeding SR100 million.

The Cabinet appointed Hindi bin Naif bin Humaid, Saad bin Saleh Al-Saleh, Essam bin Abdul Aziz Al-Muhanna, Majed bin Abdul Aziz Al-Dries and Adel bin Abdulmohsen Ba-Basil ministers plenipotentiary at the Foreign Ministry. It also approved an agreement with Jordan for cooperation in municipal affairs, to exchange knowledge and experience.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

UN condemns Israeli regime’s ‘organized torture’ against Palestinians

News Network

November 30,2025

The United Nations Committee against Torture (CAT) has condemned the Israeli regime for enforcing a policy of “organized torture” against Palestinians.

In a report published on Friday, CAT stated that the occupying regime enforces a deliberate policy of “organized and widespread torture and ill-treatment” against Palestinian abductees, particularly since October 7, 2023, when Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza.

The committee expressed “deep concern over repeated severe beatings, dog attacks, electrocution, water-boarding, use of prolonged stress positions [and] sexual violence” inflicted on Palestinians.

Palestinian prisoners were degraded by “being made to act like animals or being urinated on,” systematically denied medical care, and subjected to excessive restraints, “in some cases resulting in amputation,” the report added.

CAT also condemned the routine application of “unlawful combatants law” to justify the prolonged detention without trial of thousands of Palestinian men, women, and children.

More than 10,000 Palestinians, including women and children, are currently held in Israeli prisons, according to Palestinian and international human rights groups, with 3,474 Palestinians in “administrative detention,” meaning they are imprisoned without trial for indefinite periods.

The report highlighted the “high proportion of children who are currently detained without charge or on remand,” noting that while Israel sets the age of criminal responsibility at 12, even younger children have been abducted.

Children designated as security prisoners face severe restrictions on family contact, may be subjected to solitary confinement, and are denied access to education, in clear violation of international law.

The committee further suggested that Israel’s policies across the Occupied Territories constitute collective torture against the Palestinian population.

“A range of policies adopted by Israel in the course of its continued unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory amounts to cruel, inhuman or degrading living conditions for the Palestinian population,” the report said.

On Thursday, the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas condemned the systematic killing and torture of Palestinian abductees in Israeli prisons, urging international action to halt these abuses.

Citing human rights data, Hamas stated that 94 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli prisons since the start of Tel Aviv’s genocidal war on Gaza.

“This reflects an organized criminal approach that has turned these prisons into direct killing grounds to eliminate our people,” the resistance movement said.

Hamas called on the international community, the UN, and human rights organizations to immediately pressure Israel to end crimes against prisoners and uphold their rights as guaranteed by all international conventions and norms.

Comments