Saudi Arabia strongly condemns intrusion by Netanyahu into Palestinian Jordan Valley

Saudi Arabia strongly condemns intrusion by Netanyahu into Palestinian Jordan Valley
The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned what it described as a blatant Israeli intrusion by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into a Palestinian-controlled area of the Jordan Valley. (Reuters/File)
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Updated 13 September 2024
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Saudi Arabia strongly condemns intrusion by Netanyahu into Palestinian Jordan Valley

Saudi Arabia strongly condemns intrusion by Netanyahu into Palestinian Jordan Valley
  • Ministry of Foreign Affairs says such violations harm efforts to ease tensions in the region and to provide protection for Palestinian civilians
  • It also renews call for the international community to fully live up to its responsibility to do all it can to halt Israeli aggression

JEDDAH: The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned what it described as a blatant Israeli intrusion by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into a Palestinian-controlled area of the Jordan Valley.

It said the incident was a provocative action carried out with the aim of expanding Israeli settlement activity that violates international law and resolutions designed to prevent such actions, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

On Wednesday, Netanyahu, accompanied by Israeli army commanders, visited part of the valley close to the border with Jordan and announced his intention to build a wall along the border to prevent what he described as attempts to smuggle weapons and fighters into the West Bank and Israel. It is a revival of a project initially proposed by Israeli authorities about 20 years ago.

The ministry said such violations harm efforts to ease tensions in the region and to provide protection for civilians in the Palestinian territories.

It reiterated the important need for an end to Israel’s aggression in Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from the territory, the return of displaced Palestinians to their homes, and increased flows of humanitarian aid to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people.

The ministry also renewed its call for the international community to fully live up to its responsibility to do all it can to halt all Israeli aggression against Palestinians and their territories, and stressed the need for mechanisms to ensure accountability for actions in Gaza and to help end actions by Israeli authorities that threaten security and undermine peace efforts in the region.


Saudi Arabia’s Jubail Industrial City operates world’s largest smart irrigation network

Saudi Arabia’s Jubail Industrial City operates world’s largest smart irrigation network
Updated 21 August 2025
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Saudi Arabia’s Jubail Industrial City operates world’s largest smart irrigation network

Saudi Arabia’s Jubail Industrial City operates world’s largest smart irrigation network
  • RCJY manages a vast irrigation network extending over 11,600 kilometers of pipelines
  • The system is managed by a unified control center comprising more than 12,200 smart devices

JUBAIL: Jubail Industrial City operates the world’s largest integrated smart irrigation system, the Saudi Press Agency has reported. 

Citing information from the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu (RCJY), the report said that the system is managed by a unified control center that includes more than 12,200 smart devices, processing about 1.2 million signals daily. 

“The system serves as a national model aligned with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 for environmental sustainability, advancing digital transformation in resource management, and activating smart cities with high efficiency,” SPA said, quoting RCJY operation and maintenance manager Safar Alnutayfat as saying.

Alnutayfat explained that the commission manages a vast irrigation network extending over 11.6 thousand kilometers of pipelines. 

RCJY's unified control center that manages the irrigation system has more than 12,200 smart devices, processing about 1.2 million signals daily. (SPA)

With the use of the smart system, the commission has reduced operation and maintenance costs by over 35 percent, while supporting sustainability through recycling treated water for irrigation at a volume of approximately 2.8 million cubic meters per month, the executive said.

Alnutayfat further said the system “represents one of the Kingdom’s distinguished national experiences in line with the goals of the Saudi Green and the Middle East Green Initiatives, by rationalizing the consumption of natural resources, increasing vegetation cover, and enhancing efforts to combat climate change in the area.” 

RCJY's unified control center that manages the irrigation system has more than 12,200 smart devices, processing about 1.2 million signals daily. (SPA)

 


Reef Saudi backs Al-Ahsa lime exhibition Lomi Hasawi

Reef Saudi backs Al-Ahsa lime exhibition Lomi Hasawi
Updated 21 August 2025
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Reef Saudi backs Al-Ahsa lime exhibition Lomi Hasawi

Reef Saudi backs Al-Ahsa lime exhibition Lomi Hasawi
  • Lomi Hasawi Exhibition, organized by the Al-Ahsa Chamber, runs until Sept. 6.

RIYADH: Agricultural development program Reef Saudi is backing Lomi Hasawi, an exhibition dedicated to the lime fruit that grows in the Al-Ahsa region of Saudi Arabia.

Reef Saudi, formally known as the Sustainable Agricultural Rural Development Program, which is participating at the event as a gold sponsor, is a government entity supporting agricultural development in the Kingdom.

The lime is widely grown in the Eastern Province, particularly in the Al-Ahsa Oasis, and locals have been farming it for centuries, passing down knowledge of how to care for and cultivate the citrus fruit.

Lomi Hasawi Exhibition, organized by the Al-Ahsa Chamber, runs until Sept. 6. 

Reef Saudi spokesman Majed Al-Buraikan said the program, which helps producers with tools and capabilities, had provided SR342,000 to the lime sector in the province, benefiting 89 farmers. 

And that support has boosted production to over 122,400 tons, he told the Saudi Press Agency. 

The fruit sector is a key focus for the program, which aims to diversify local agricultural production, raise efficiency, and contribute to achieving self-sufficiency, in line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, according to SPA. 


Saudi FM speaks to Emirati, Qatari, and Bahraini counterparts

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan. (SPA)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan. (SPA)
Updated 20 August 2025
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Saudi FM speaks to Emirati, Qatari, and Bahraini counterparts

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan. (SPA)

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held separate phone calls with his counterparts from the UAE, Qatar, and Bahrain on Wednesday, Saudi Press Agency reported.  

During the phone calls with UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, and Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, Prince Faisal discussed the latest regional and international developments and issues of common interest. 


Mental health center emphasizes importance of psychological support for students

Mental health center emphasizes importance of psychological support for students
Updated 20 August 2025
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Mental health center emphasizes importance of psychological support for students

Mental health center emphasizes importance of psychological support for students
  • Family’s role, school’s institutional responsibility, students’ proactive steps also crucial

RIYADH: Eradah Mental Health Complex has emphasized the critical need for psychological support for students returning to classrooms in the coming weeks, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.

Eradah identified several factors crucial to good mental health: the family’s role, the school’s institutional responsibility, and proactive steps from students themselves.

Families must help cultivate reassurance through structured home environments, the center said.

Parents should also involve children in preparations for school and exhibit enthusiasm for learning, while encouraging independence and social connections, it added.

Schools also bear equal responsibility in creating psychologically safe environments in which mistakes are treated as natural learning components rather than grounds for punishment, Eradah added.

The Riyadh-based center said that educators needed to praise effort regardless of outcomes, and deploy interactive teaching methods to reduce academic stress.

Another important responsibility included monitoring behavioral changes for early intervention, it said.

Family partnerships should be established for student support and comparisons that foster negative competition should be rejected and learning differences respected, Eradah added.

Students are urged to approach the academic year as a new opportunity by setting realistic goals, maintaining positive relationships with peers and teachers, and balancing studies with recreation through organized schedules.

Eradah emphasized that schools and teachers now hold unparalleled influence over the mental health of students, describing their role as fundamental and no less important than families in building resilient personalities.


Saudi participation at Expo 2025 greatly contributes to deeper mutual understanding, says Japan’s ambassador

Saudi participation at Expo 2025 greatly contributes to deeper mutual understanding, says Japan’s ambassador
Updated 20 August 2025
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Saudi participation at Expo 2025 greatly contributes to deeper mutual understanding, says Japan’s ambassador

Saudi participation at Expo 2025 greatly contributes to deeper mutual understanding, says Japan’s ambassador
  • Saudi vice minister of culture expresses gratitude for support at Osaka

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Vice Minister of Culture Hamed Fayez has met Japan’s Ambassador to the Kingdom Yasunari Morino at the Ministry of Culture in Riyadh.

Fayez expressed his gratitude to the Japanese for their generous support of the Kingdom during its participation at Expo 2025. The event is being held in Osaka, Japan, and concludes on Oct. 13. It is the second time that Osaka Prefecture has hosted such an event, having previously hosted Expo 1970.

The Saudi minister also voiced his enthusiasm for Japan’s participation at Expo 2030, which will be held in Riyadh.

Japan’s ambassador told Arab News: “I had a very good meeting with the vice minister. We share a positive outlook on Japan-Saudi cultural exchanges, especially on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of Japan-Saudi relations.

“We appreciate the Saudi government’s active participation in the Osaka-Kansai Expo, which greatly contributes to the deepening of mutual understanding between Japan and Saudi Arabia. We look forward to the Riyadh Expo in 2030.”

The two officials also focused on cultural exchanges between the Kingdom and Japan in several fields, including the “Manga Hokusai Manga” exhibition earlier this year at the Saudi Arabia Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Saudi Cultural Week in July in Osaka, which marked 70 years of diplomatic relations between the countries.

Riyadh is to celebrate that milestone with a special Japan Festival which is scheduled for Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. The event will spotlight Japanese culture, with traditional performances, hands-on workshops, tourism experiences, and corporate booths

A special performance featuring a traditional type of Japanese theater will take place at the event, which is to be held at Riyadh’s Cultural Palace.