![\"Salman\"](\"https:\/\/english.thesunrisetoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Salman.jpg\")
Saudi Arabia announced on Sunday a $150 million donation to the maintenance of Islamic heritage, namely the religious administration that oversees Jerusalem\u2019s Al-Aqsa mosque\u2014 one of Islam\u2019s holiest sites at the start of an Arab summit.\nThe Kingdom announced another $50 million for programs run by the UN relief agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) after the US slashed its aid.
\nKing Abdullah II of Jordan opened the 29th Arab League Summit in Saudi Arabia\u2019s Dhahran, stressing the need for a two-state solution and condemning the US\u2019s decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem.
\nSaudi Arabia\u2019s King Salman also condemned the move and reiterated the Kingdom’s rejection of the US decision, while emphasizing the need to have East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.
\nSaudi Arabia, which takes over the rotating chair of the Arab summit from Jordan, announced that the current gathering would be named the \u201cQuds (Jerusalem) Summit,\u201d a reference to US President Donald Trump\u2019s decision last year to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel which Arab states condemned.
\n“We reiterate our rejection of the US decision on Jerusalem,” Salman said. “East Jerusalem is an integral part of the Palestinian territories.”
\nThe king said he had named this year’s meeting “the Jerusalem summit so that the entire world knows Palestine and its people remain at the heart of Arab concerns”.
\nHowever, the strongest criticism of the Trump administration came from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
\n\u201cThe decisions have made the United States a party to the conflict and not a neutral mediator,\u201d Abbas said at the summit.
\nSaudi King Salman told leaders from across the 22-member Arab League that Iran was to blame for instability and meddling in the region. He said Yemeni rebel Houthis, backed by Iran, had fired 116 missiles at the kingdom since Saudi Arabia went to war in Yemen three years ago to try and roll back Houthi gains there.\u201cWe renew our strong condemnation of terrorist acts carried out by Iran in the Arab region, and we reject its blatant interference in the internal affairs of Arab countries,\u201d King Salman said in the eastern Saudi Arabian city, without giving specifics.
\nHe called on the international community to take a strong stance against Iran\u2019s aggression in the region, as well as the militias that are cutting off aid to war-torn Yemen.
\nArab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit said Assad\u2019s government and \u201cinternational players trying to achieve their own strategic political goals\u201d bear responsibility for the crisis there.
\n\u201cRegional interference in Arab affairs has reached an unprecedented degree. And first of these is the Iranian interference, the aim of which is not for the well-being of the Arabs or their interests,\u201d he said.
\nAboul Gheit added that major threats facing Arabs are all equally important and dangerous.
\n\u201cCurrent challenges call for dialogue on priorities of Arab national security,\u201d Aboul Gheit said.
\nHe also said that the Syrian regime bears a great responsibility in the \u201ccollapse of its homeland and loss of dignity.\u201d
\nPrior to the opening of the summit, King Salman received Arab leaders and heads of delegations participating in the 29th Arab League Summit at the King Abdulaziz International Cultural Center in Dhahran.<\/p>\n