King Abdullah: Saudi Arabia to Rebuild All Gaza Homes

Under King Abdullah's tenure, Saudi Arabia is starting to take more and more of a leading role in regional affairs, especially on the security front (pushing for cordial relations and security cooperation with Iran, mediating on the Lebanese and Palestinian fronts, drafting and sponsoring a pan-Arab peace proposal to Israel, etc). This is in stark contrast to his predecessor, King Fahd, who preferred more of a 'behind-the-scenes' role for the Kingdom, letting Egypt take the lead on most issues. He's certainly much more proactive than Fahd ever was...


Abdullah Offers to Rebuild All Gaza Homes

http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&sec...8&m=3&y=2008&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Kingdom

JEDDAH, 8 March 2008 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has ordered the reconstruction of all demolished Palestinian homes in Gaza as a result of Israeli attacks, Health Minister Dr. Hamad Al-Manie said in comments published yesterday.

Al-Manie made this statement while addressing a press conference in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh on Thursday in the presence of Palestinian and Egyptian health ministers.

“The king has ordered the reconstruction of Palestinian houses at the expense of the Saudi government,” Al-Jazirah Arabic daily quoted the minister as saying. Al-Manie did not say how many Palestinian homes would be rebuilt under the program.

However, he pointed out that King Abdullah’s humanitarian gesture was in line with Saudi Arabia’s unwavering support to the Palestinian cause.

Saudi Arabia has strongly condemned the Israeli aggression on unarmed Palestinian civilians in Gaza, using “unpaid weapons of mass destruction” it has.

Last Monday, the Council of Ministers, chaired by King Abdullah, held the UN Security Council responsible for the Jewish state’s continuous aggression against the Palestinians.

“The UN Security Council should take the moral and political responsibility for Israel’s practices and continuous violations of the international law,” the Saudi Press Agency said quoting a Cabinet statement.

‘Bigger Holocaust’

Five days of Israeli airstrikes and ground incursions in Gaza last week have killed at least 123 Palestinians, mostly women and children. The aggression translated into further threats by Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai to unleash a “bigger Holocaust” on Gaza.

More than 350 Palestinians, mostly civilians, were wounded in the offensive with many of them left to die as Israel impeded ambulances. Last Tuesday night, Israeli occupation troops shot dead a Palestinian baby girl and a senior Hamas member in Gaza.

Saudi Arabia is an ardent supporter of the Palestinians. King Abdullah used his European tour last year to mobilize world support for the Palestinian cause. The latest Arab peace initiative, which has received global applause, was originally proposed by King Abdullah.

Last year King Abdullah invited Fatah and Hamas leaders to hold an urgent meeting in Makkah to discuss their differences. The Makkah meeting resulted in the formation of a Palestinian unity government.

In his appeal to the Palestinian leaders, King Abdullah had stated that their infighting was a source of shame, adding that it has tainted the historic and noble struggle of the Palestinian people who have sacrificed their lives to liberate their land from the yoke of occupation.