Saudi King Receives Appreciation from Recipients of His Largesse

In recent days, King Salmon of Saudi Arabia has undertaken a number of initiatives that benefited a number of sectors of society including paying bonuses for soldiers stationed on the southern front; boosting cost of living allowances to social security recipients and retirees; increasing stipend payments for students; suspending the Value Added Tax on first-purchases of new homes (to a limit). In recognition of the monarch’s largesse, the king received the praise of the government’s cabinet at its meeting on Tuesday, which was chaired by…King Salmon. Apparently responding to reports of Crown Prince Mohammed’s updated take on Middle East peace – he offered a peace plan that shocked the Palestinians, omitting the demand for a Palestinian capital in Jerusalem and other heretofore “redline” issues — the cabinet endorsed the statement by Arab foreign ministers that explained the dangers of the declaration by President Trump of Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem. In a telephone conversation with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, the King reiterated Saudi support for the Palestinians and their claim to a Jerusalem capital.