Samar Yahya

Saudi Gazette

Jeddah — The Palestinian Consulate in Jeddah held a reception to celebrate Palestine’s newly upgraded United Nations status in Jeddah on Saturday night.



The event was held under the sponsorship of Prince Talal Bin Abdulaziz. Consul General Emad Sha’at and consulate members were there to receive guests at Jeddah Hilton.



In his speech Sha’at said: “Today, I’m proud to celebrate two major events, the announcement of Palestine as a non-member observer state in United Nations and the recovery of The Custodian of The Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.”



The celebration opened with a recitation of the Holy Qur’an followed by the national anthems of Palestine and Saudi Arabia.



Sha’at added: “Today’s celebration comes with the 48th Palestinian revolution and now we can deal with the whole world as a country that has its own rights.”



Mohammed Ahmed Tayeb, Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Makkah, said during his speech at the event: “I’m honored to be here celebrating the historical announcement that Palestine is now a non-member observer state in the United Nations.



“It is a real celebration for both the Arab and Islamic nations.”

Tayeb also reviewed Saudi support for Palestine since King Abdulaziz.

Algeria general consul and dean of consular corps in Jeddah Saleh Ateyah said: “Algeria has been supporting Palestine and this was clear when the late Palestinian president Yasser Arafat in 1988 delivered his famous speech and announced the State of Palestine in Algeria.”



Ateyah also praised the Saudi leadership and King Abdullah’s initiative known as “The Arab Initiative” that was announced during the Arab summit held in Beirut in March 2002.



There are approximately 500,000 Palestinians in Saudi Arabia. Around 170,000 to 180,000 live in Jeddah and within the areas served by the consulate.



Some of the guests included Prince Abdulaziz Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz, Prince Sultan Bin Nasser Bin Abdulaziz, Prince Khaled Bin Abdullah, Yasser Mahmoud Abbas, who was representing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and consuls general from many Islamic and Arab countries.



Sha’at presented souvenirs to Tayeb, singer Mohammed Abdu and businesswoman Suad Al-Husseiny Al Juffali for their support for the Palestinian community.



Sha’at has been praised for establishing strong relations with the Palestinian community since he has been posted in Jeddah about four years ago.



Host Eman Al-Wazir presented a PowerPoint presentation by Haifaa Mohammed Abdou showcasing 100 years of Palestine with photos and information.