NEW YORK: Saudi Arabia has affirmed its support for the Palestinian people to obtain their legitimate rights and establish their independent state on the borders of 1967, with Jerusalem as its capital, according to the internationally recognized principles and the Arab Peace Initiative. The affirmation came in a speech delivered in New York by Abdallah Al-Mouallimi, the permanent representative of the Kingdom to the UN, before the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. Al-Mouallimi highlighted Saudi Arabia’s prominent efforts in supporting the Palestinian cause, including a directive from King Salman on July 7, 2019 to host 1,000 pilgrims from the families of Palestinian martyrs to perform the Hajj ritual. He pointed out that one of the most prominent efforts of the Kingdom was its call to the Security Council to shoulder its responsibilities in providing the necessary protection for the Palestinian people and to put an end to the Israeli aggression and its systematic violation of Islamic and Christian holy sites, particularly Al-Aqsa Mosque. He added that Saudi Arabia believes that there is no justification for the blatant Israeli violations against the Palestinian people, especially in light of the international consensus on the Palestinians’ right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent state.