NEOM — The Cabinet renewed on Tuesday the Kingdom's stance toward the Palestinian cause, saying that it is a fundamental Arab issue, and Saudi Arabia has not hesitated to defend it since the era of its founder King Abdulaziz. In a virtual session chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, the Cabinet said the Palestinian cause remains on the top of the issues supported by Saudi Arabia in its foreign policy, reiterating the Kingdom's commitment to backing the strategic choice for peace and its adherence to the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative. In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency following the meeting, Dr. Majid Al-Qasabi, the acting minister of media said that the Cabinet also stressed "on the importance of Israel to stop building settlements on Palestinian lands, as it constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and an obstacle to achieving a lasting and comprehensive peace." The Cabinet pointed out to the Kingdom's stance during its participation in the Paris conference on the need to achieve comprehensive political and economic reform in Lebanon, and to limit the external influence of regional parties seeking to spread destruction and instability in Lebanon and the Middle East. The Cabinet also reiterated its condemnation of the Iranian-backed terrorist Houthi militia's continuation of launching missiles and drones toward Saudi Arabia, targeting civilians and civilian objects, systematically and deliberately, which is a flagrant violation of international and humanitarian laws. At the outset of the meeting, the Cabinet reviewed the local and international coronavirus-related developments as well as the latest developments with regard to vaccines and the efforts being exerted to procure them once they are approved. The Cabinet also reviewed the latest statistics recorded in the Kingdom, which witness a dramatic reduction in terms of infections due to unlimited support offered by the prudent leadership of the country spurred by the community awareness and commitment of preventive and precautionary measures. The Cabinet also cited the United Nations general assembly's 31st special session held to search ways of the international response to COVID-19 in which the Kingdom insisted on the importance of guaranteeing the access of all countries of the world to fair and cost-affordable vaccines. The Cabinet also discussed the Kingdom's advanced ranking of G20 member states in a number of security-related indexes of the international competitiveness report 2019, as well as the sustainable development report 2020, surpassing the veto-holding countries of the UN Security Council. Saudi Arabia also ranked first at the Arab level and 22nd worldwide in the international index for artificial intelligence. The Cabinet was briefed on the developments in the regional and international arenas, citing the outcomes of the meetings of the follow-up and political consultation committee between Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The Cabinet also reviewed the contents of the final statement of the committee reflecting the coincidence of visions on a number of issues and crises facing the region and the world, confirming the two countries' rejection of regional interference in internal affairs of Arab countries, including attempts to destabilize the region's security and stability. The Cabinet cited the importance of the Arab role including the role of the Arab League in solving the region's crises within the relevant international resolutions and according to the principles of international law.
