RIYADH — The Saudi Council of Ministers reiterated on Tuesday its demand that the Israeli authorities must be held accountable for crimes of genocide and grave violations being perpetrated against unarmed Palestinian civilians. The weekly session of the Cabinet, chaired by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, condemned the repeated statements by the Israeli prime minister on the forced displacement of Palestinians and the continued use of blockades and starvation tactics to impose this forcefully. The Cabinet stated that these actions constitute a blatant violation of international law and humanitarian principles. At the outset of the session, the Crown Prince briefed the Cabinet on his meeting with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and on his phone calls with French President Emmanuel Macron and Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof. In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency following the session, Minister of Media Salman Al-Dossary said that the Cabinet commended the new set of development projects launched by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) to meet the urgent needs of the Syrian people. These projects focus on food security, health, education, shelter, and rehabilitation to support recovery efforts and alleviate the suffering of those affected. The Cabinet praised the outcomes of the fifth meeting of the Economic and Social Pillar of the Saudi-UK Strategic Partnership Council and the closing conference of the GREAT FUTURES initiative, which resulted in the announcement of 38 agreements with a total value exceeding SR20 billion and the launch of a new partnership between the two countries aimed at developing key sectors and leveraging promising opportunities within Saudi Vision 2030. The Cabinet commended the results of the Global Symposium for Regulators, hosted by the Kingdom, reflecting the country's commitment to shaping future policies for the vital technology sector and underscoring Saudi Arabia's significant role in the global digital landscape and its efforts to build technological connections that promote human cooperation and sustainable development both regionally and internationally. The Cabinet reviewed several of the Kingdom's economic indicators, including a 3.9 percent GDP growth in the second quarter of 2025, largely driven by non-oil activities, which now make up 56 percent of the total economy. The Cabinet also described the Kingdom's foreign direct investment (FDI) results for 2024 as promising. For the fourth consecutive year, FDI inflows have exceeded national strategy targets, growing by 24.2 percent, leading to fixed capital formation reaching a new historic high. The Cabinet approved a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the exchange of criminal information between the international partnership programs of the Saudi Ministry of Interior and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the US Department of Justice, and endorsed another MoU on education, training, scientific research, and community service between the General Directorate of Border Guard at the Saudi Ministry of Interior (Ministry of Interior Border Security Academy) and the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, affiliated with the Arab League. The Council authorized the minister of environment, water and agriculture or his deputy to discuss and sign with the Moroccan side a draft MoU on trade and technical exchange in the palm and dates sector between the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture and the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture, Marine Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests. The Cabinet approved the statute of the Labor Center of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and a memorandum of cooperation on mining and mineral resources between the Saudi Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources and the US Department of Energy. The Council approved the organizational structure and manual for the Ministry of Transport and Logistics, and the organization of the National Center for Transport Safety.
