RIYADH: The Saudi Shoura Council and the influential Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have joined the international chorus of condemnation over the US move to recognize the illegally occupied Golan Heights as Israeli territory.
The Kingdom’s firm rejection of American President Donald Trump’s controversial declaration came during a session of the Saudi consultative assembly held in Riyadh on Wednesday under the chairmanship of its deputy speaker, Dr. Abdullah bin Salim Al-Mutani.
The council said that the US administration’s decision did not change historical facts and was a violation of the Charter of the UN, the principles of international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
Members called on all countries working to bring peace and stability to the Middle East to reject Trump’s declaration and adhere to UN rulings relating to the preservation of Arab land rights.
Riyadh’s position is that the Golan Heights is occupied Syrian territory.
The Shoura Council’s condemnation was on Tuesday reinforced by the OIC which said the US stance was designed to create a fait accompli and legitimize Israel’s sovereignty claim over the Golan.
The OIC’s General Secretariat stressed that the US announcement did not alter the international legal status of the Golan as occupied Arab Syrian land.
In a statement the Arab League also criticized the American decision and said the matter would be discussed at its summit in Tunisia next week.
In other business, Dr. Yahya bin Abdullah Al-Samaan, assistant speaker of the Saudi Shoura Council, said several regulatory projects were approved during the session.
The council adopted 10 measures aimed at protecting the public values, principles and identities of Saudi communities.
It also approved systems to prevent abuse of position and protect public money.
Other draft projects given the green light concerned juvenile homes, franchising, and rules relating to environmental standards in industry with regard to securing loans.
In addition, the meeting approved a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Saudi and Egyptian boards of grievances on administrative justice. A second MoU dealing with Islamic affairs was signed between the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance and the Mauritanian Ministry of Islamic Affairs and Education.
