Saudis give Palestinians diplomatic boost before Warsaw meet

JERUSALEM – The Palestinians have received a boost of support from Saudi Arabia ahead of a planned Mideast conference in Warsaw organized by the Trump administration.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with King Salman in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Tuesday. The official Saudi news agency reports that the king expressed his “permanent stand” in support of a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital.

Abbas adviser Majdi Khaldi says the Palestinian leader “affirmed the Palestinian position rejecting” Trump’s anticipated “Deal of the Century” to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The conference in Poland is officially billed as promoting regional peace and stability, but is widely seen as focusing on isolating Iran. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Arab leaders are attending, but the Palestinians are not.