Ambassador Shobaki Speaks on Palestinian-Saudi Relations

The Birzeit University Ibrahim Abu-Lughod Institute of International Studies hosted on June 7, 2014 former Palestinian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Jamal Shobaki, who lectured on Palestinian-Saudi relations. Shobaki will soon travel to the Arab Republic of Egypt to take up his position there as ambassador of Palestine.

Shobaki emphasized that one of the main components of Saudi foreign policy is support for the Palestinian cause, which results from several considerations, most important among them a common Islamic doctrine in which Jerusalem is the twin city of Mecca, and the Arab nationalism that links Saudi Arabia and Palestine.

Shobaki gave examples of different forms of Saudi support for Palestinians, among them providing five percent of Palestinian employees' salaries to benefit the Palestinian National Fund and King Abdullah's political initiative in 2002, which received unanimous Arab and Islamic support. He also noted that Saudi Arabia is one of the few Arab states yet to establish normal relations with Israel.