Saudi Arabia rejects US President Donald Trump's decision
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RIYADH - Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Sunday criticised US President Donald Trump's decision to transfer the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
"We reiterate our rejection of the US decision on Jerusalem," the king said in a speech during the opening of an Arab League summit.
"East Jerusalem is an integral part of the Palestinian territories," he said in Dhahran in eastern Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia, which takes over the rotating chair of the Arab summit from Jordan, announced that the current gathering would be named the "Quds (Jerusalem) Summit", a reference to Trump's decision last year to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
King Salman said Saudi Arabia was donating US $200 million to support the Palestinians, including US $50 million for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
The king condemned Iran, without making any reference to missile strikes by Western powers on Syrian government targets over a suspected gas attack a week ago.
"We 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," he said, without giving specifics.
The United States, Britain and France launched missiles against three alleged chemical weapons facilities in Syria on Saturday.
Saudi Arabia and its allies expressed support for the strikes on Saturday, but Iraq and Lebanon have condemned them. Other countries like Jordan and Kuwait refrained from taking a position, instead renewing calls for a political solution to the multi-sided war which has killed at least half a million people in the past seven years.
Military help over the past three years from Russia and Iran, which also backs Lebanon's Hezbollah group and Shi'ite Muslim militias in Iraq, has allowed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to crush the rebel threat to topple him.
