Saudi Arabia backs Palestinians’ Jerusalem claim, king tells Abbas

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman reassured Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that the kingdom continues to support Palestinian claims to Jerusalem, the government in Riyadh said. The king on Wednesday reiterated to Abbas Saudi Arabia’s support for “the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital city,” according to Saudi Press Agency. The two spoke in the Saudi capital, and the meeting was attended by a number of senior princes and Palestinian officials. They did not include the king’s son and heir, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, AP reported. He met with Abbas in early November in Riyadh – a month before US President Donald Trump announced his decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. A week ago, heads of state from Muslim countries met in Turkey to reject and denounce Trump’s move. Saudi Arabia and some of its allies were absent from that summit.