Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques makes intensified int'l calls to stop unjust Israeli aggression against Palestinians

King Abdullah discusses with Abbas developments in Gaza; orders aid from Saudi Arabia, airlift to transfer casualties

CP Sultan bin Abdulaziz orders medical supplies to Gaza

Saudi Shoura Council condemns brutal Israeli aggressions against Gaza Strip

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and President Mahmoud Abbas, the Head of the Executive Committee of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Head of the Palestinian National Authority, discussed the current situation in the Palestinian territories and the brutal and comprehensive aggression against Gaza Strip and the resulting huge Palestinian causalities and damage in continuation of the Israeli occupation policies and the unjust blockade imposed by Israel against the Palestinian people and the Israeli avoidance of the dues of peace and the international resolutions and initiatives in this regard.

During the meeting the two sides held in Rawdhat Khuraim, they discussed the necessity of the International Community's move to stop the Israeli aggression, protect the Palestinian people, achieve the just and comprehensive peace in the region and enable the Palestinian people to establish their independent state on their national soil with Alquds as its capital in accordance with the International Legitimacy's resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.

The meeting was attended by Prince Miteb bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs; Prince Miqren bin Abdulaziz, Chief of General Intelligence; Prince Faisal bin Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Saud, Assistant Chief of General Intelligence; Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, Adviser to the King; Iyad bin Amin Madani, Minister of Culture and Information, and the accompanying delegation of the Palestinian president.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud received in Rawdhat Khuraim, Mahmoud Abbas, the Head of the Executive Committee of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Head of the Palestinian National Authority; and the accompanying delegation.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques held a luncheon in honor of the Palestinian President and the accompanying delegation.

The audience and luncheon were attended by Prince Miteb bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs; Prince Miqren bin Abdulaziz, Chief of General Intelligence; Prince Turki Al-Faisal bin Abdulaziz; Prince Mohammed bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz, Governor of Jazan Region; Prince Faisal bin Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Saud, Assistant Chief of General Intelligence; Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz; Prince Turki bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Saud Al-Kabeer; Prince Saud bin Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Saud; Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, Adviser to the King; Prince Mansour bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz, Adviser to the King; Prince Dr. Bandar bin Salman bin Mohammed Al Saud, Adviser to the King; Prince Dr. Abdulaziz bin Sattam bin Abdulaziz; Prince Misha'al bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, Minister Plenipotentiary at the Office of Minister of Foreign Affairs; Prince Mohammed bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz; Prince Majed bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz; Prince Faisal bin Turki bin Mohammed; Iyad bin Amin Madani, Minister of Culture and Information; and Palestinian Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Jamal Abdul-Latif Al-Shobaki.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz made an urgent telephone call to United States President George W. Bush about the Israeli aggression against Gaza and its implications of continuing Israel's policies of blockade, occupation and torture against the Palestinian people all over the Occupied Territories and the need for the international community to move and for the major countries to shoulder their responsibilities to stop this Israeli attack and save the lives of the innocent and remaining infrastructure in the Palestinian territories.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud telephoned Egyptian President Mohammad Hosni Mubarak. During the call, they reviewed developments in Gaza Strip in view of the Israeli attacks against Gaza.

They also discussed the bilateral relations between the two countries and developments at the regional and international scenes.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud received a telephone call from the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifah Al Thani.

During the call, they reviewed developments in Gaza Strip in view of the attacks against it by the Israeli forces.

They also discussed the bilateral relations between the two countries and issues of common interest.

In view of the Israeli attacks against Gaza Strip and the resulting Palestinian dead and injured, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz directed that all possible medical and medicine supplies be secured and immediately shipped to Gaza Strip through Egypt in addition to securing medical evacuation planes to transport Palestinian injured from Al A'rish, Egypt, to the kingdom as well as air cargo planes to transport the medical and medicine supplies in coordination with Egyptians and Palestinians to Al A'rish, Egypt, and in coordination with the Saudi embassy in Cairo.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques also directed that the Palestinian injured by treated at all the kingdom's specialist, referral and general hospitals according to the health condition of individual cases and that the Ministry of Health should coordinate with concerned authorities regarding this matter and take all necessary measures to carry out this action very urgently.

President Mahmoud Abbas, the Head of the Executive Committee of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Head of the Palestinian National Authority, said that Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud expressed deep pain, annoyance and sadness at the outrageous extensive Israeli aggression carried out against the Gaza Strip and the resulting big losses in Palestinian lives and properties.

In a departure statement in Riyadh, President Abbas indicated that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques began contacting most world leaders including the United States President whom he urged to intervene to stop this unjust aggression against the Palestinian people.

President Abbas highly appreciated the kind gesture of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to send medical aid to Gaza Strip and treat injured Palestinians at all Saudi hospitals.

The Palestinian President considered the Israeli aggression against Gaza as a vicious act that claimed hundreds of innocent lives. "This aggression is still going on. We do not think there is a reason that makes Israel commit such an outrageous act against the Palestinian people," he said.

The Palestinian President underscored the need to stop this Israeli attack and protect innocent lives and the remaining infrastructure in the Palestinian territories.

In the name of President Mahmoud Abbas, the Head of the Executive Committee of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Head of the Palestinian National Authority; the Palestinian Liberation Organization and the Palestinian authority and people, Palestinian Negotiations Affairs Department's Chief Dr. Saeb O'raiqat highly valued efforts by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz to stop the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people.

In a statement following the meeting between the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and President Abbas, Dr. Saeb said that "with the weight enjoyed by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the kingdom in the international and regional political field," the king is exerting his utmost efforts to help the Palestinian president in stopping the Israeli aggression and then enable the Egyptians to succeed in their efforts to reaffirm the truce in Gaza.

Dr. Saeb said the king made a number of phone calls to the United States president and many European and international parties to help in forcing Israel to stop its aggression against Gaza.

Dr. Saeb highly valued and hailed the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' directive to treat in the kingdom the Palestinians who were injured due to the Israeli raids against Gaza.

Dr. Saeb commended the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' efforts which resulted in the Makkah Agreement between the Palestinians.

Palestinian Health Minister Fat-hi Abu Maghli highly valued the support provided to the Palestinian people in Gaza by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

Upon receiving the wounded and injured Palestinians coming out of Gaza strip, Abu Maghli expressed his thanks to and appreciation of the Kingdom and the King for their support for the Palestinian people including the dispatch of quantities of humanitarian aid as well as the allocation of two planes to transport a number of wounded Palestinians to hospitals in the Kingdom.

In line with the directive of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, ordered Chief of the General Staff and Director General of the Saudi Arabian Airlines to implement the directive of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to secure all possible medical and medicine supplies in coordination with all hospitals in all sectors; immediately ship them to the Palestinian brothers through Egypt; secure medical evacuation planes to transport Palestinian injured from Al A'rish, Egypt, to the kingdom; secure air cargo planes to transport the medical, medicine and other supplies in coordination with Egyptians and Palestinians to Al A'rish, Egypt, and in coordination with the Saudi embassy in Cairo; treat the Palestinian injured at all the kingdom's specialist, referral and general hospitals according to the health condition of individual cases and take all necessary measures to carry out this action very urgently.

In line with the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, the General Directorate for Medical Services of the Armed Forces, has delivered medical supplies as part of an emergency airlift for the Palestinians in Gaza through Egypt.

In response to the current situation in the Gaza Strip, the King urged all hospitals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to forge cooperation and take collectively all necessary measures to secure the needed critical medical supplies as well as engage into the medical evacuation of the injured Palestinians to Saudi hospitals.

In a statement to Saudi Press Agency, Major General-Pilot Hamad Al Hassoun, Head of the Air Medical Evacuation Department said that the first evacuation aircrafts landed Sunday night in Al Arish in Egypt to receive the injured Palestinians.

He also added that "the airlift will constantly be transferring all urgent cases in cooperation with the Ministry of Health".

Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Egypt Hisham Mohieddin Nazer confirmed in Al-Arish, Egypt that the Saudi and Egyptian health authorities are cooperating to implement the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to provide all facilities and help for the Saudi medical staff and media delegation accompanying the medical aid and medical evacuation airplanes to transport the injured Palestinians by Israeli attacks to Saudi hospitals.

During a meeting in El Arish' Sinai University, Nazer welcomed the medical cadre and media delegation, stressing that " we are in a humanitarian mission, since the directive ordained by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to send medical aid and medical evacuation airplanes to transport the injured Palestinians by the Israeli attacks".

He also revealed in a press release that, since the directive of Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, to allocate six airplanes, two of these Saudi planes had already arrived and the rest will arrive as needed and they are ready now.

The Shoura Council in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia strongly denounced Israel's aggression and wide vicious attacks against the Gaza Strip which led to a horrific massacre killing and injuring hundreds of Palestinian children, women and old men.

The denunciation came in a statement by Chairman of the Shoura Council Sheikh Dr. Salih Bin Homaid at the opening of the council's 60th session.

The statement called for an immediate end of this aggression and for the protection of Gazans. The statement considered the massacre as a new war crime by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinians.

The council valued the kingdom's initiative toward the Palestinians as Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz ordered sending urgent aid to the Gazans; ordered treatment of the injured in the kingdom’s hospitals and welcomed any Arab meeting to support the Palestinians. The council also valued the wide contacts made by the king with world and Arab leaders to urgently consider supporting the Gazans; ending the aggression against them and sending all kinds of financial and material aid to them.

In a statement to Saudi Press Agency following the session, Secretary General of the Shoura Council Dr. Mohammad Alghamdi said the council approved the 29-article draft regulation on health monitoring at entry points; the draft regulation on the clubs of cars and motorcycles and the draft strategy of health care in the kingdom.

Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Foreign Minister, said that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been pursuing its external communications to face the consequences of the serious situation caused by the blatant Israeli aggression on Gaza and the blind use of force by Israel against the people under siege and occupation for more than forty years.

Prince Saud stressed that the meeting of foreign ministers of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Muscat would focus on the Israeli aggression, noting that the extraordinary meeting of foreign ministers of Arab countries to be convened for this purpose will consider the call of Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, for holding an emergency Arab Summit to discuss the developments of the situation in Gaza Strip.

Egypt and Turkey are discussing measures to help end clashes between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers that have killed hundreds of people, Associated Press reported.

Egypt and Turkey both have tried to mediate between Israel and the Palestinians, and are urging the sides to show restraint.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit was meeting with his Turkish counterpart Ali Babacan.

Abul-Gheit called on Hamas to renew its truce with Israel, while Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has described Israel's air assaults in the Gaza Strip as a «crime against humanity. »

Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak is "considering favorably" a proposal for a 48-hour truce in and around the Gaza Strip, his spokesman told AFP.

"The minister is considering favorably the proposal for a ceasefire for humanitarian purposes," said Moshe Ronen. He made it clear he was talking about a 48-hour truce France had proposed.

"This doesn't stop us in any way from preparing for a ground offensive," he added.

World powers trying to promote Middle Eastern peace are calling on Israel and Hamas to implement an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and southern Israel, the United Nations said.

The diplomatic Quartet—the United Nations, the United States, the European Union, and Russia—appealed “for an immediate cease-fire that would be fully respected,” U.N. deputy spokeswoman Marie Okabe said.

The Quartet also called for the serious humanitarian and economic needs in Gaza to be addressed, and agreed on the urgent need for Israelis and Palestinians to continue peace negotiations, Okabe said.

Bush called Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to thank him for his peacemaking role there. Bush talked on the phone with Jordan's King Abdullah II and took a call from King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. Bush last talked to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert before the crisis began.

The Egyptian Red Crescent said it would send five trucks carrying food and medical aid to the Gaza Strip. An Egyptian official at the Rafah border crossing with the coastal strip said Egyptian authorities had agreed with Israel to allow the trucks in.

Mohamed Orabi, the head of the organization in North Sinai, said the trucks were loaded with 40 tons of flour, 20 tons of rice and some medical supplies.