King Salman pushes for united stance against Iran at Arab summit

Arab leaders focus on Jerusalem as major powers face off over Syria

Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud during the 29th Arab Summit in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, on April 15, 2018. Bandar Algaloud / Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/ Reuters

(1st row, from left) President of Iraq Fuad Masum, Yemen's President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi Mansour, President of Lebanon Michel Aoun, President of Sudan Omar al-Bashir, King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Emir of Kuwait Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman. (2nd row, from right) Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, President of the Algerian Senate Abdelkader Bensalah, Libya's unity government Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh, President of Somalia Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, Omani Deputy Prime Minister Fahd Bin Mahmud Al-Said, Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco, President of the Comoros Azali Assoumani and Qatari Ambassador to Arab leaque Saif Bin Muqaddam Al-Buainain at the 29th Summit of the Arab League at the Ithra Centre in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, on April 15, 2018. AFP

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, greets Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz at the 29th Arab Summit, in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, on April 15, 2018. Wam

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (L) attending the 29th Arab Summit, in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, on April 15, 2018. Saudi Press Agency / EPA

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi (R) speaks with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry during the 29th Arab Summit, in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, on April 15, 2018. EPA

Emir of Kuwait, Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah, (R) and King Salman of Saudi Arabia arrive to attend the 29th Summit of the Arab League at the Ithra Centre in Dhahran, Eastern Saudi Arabia, on April 15, 2018. AFP Photo

Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj attends the 29th Arab Summit, in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, on April 15, 2018. Saudi Press Agency / EPA

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrives before the start of 29th Arab Summit in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, on April 15, 2018. Hamad I Mohammed / Reuters

Iraqi President Fuad Masum attends the 29th Arab Summit, in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, 15 April 2018. EPA

Lebanese President Michel Aoun attends the 29th Arab Summit, in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, on April 15, 2018. EPA

Moroccan Prince Moulay Rachid attending the 29th Arab Summit, in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, on April 15, 2018. Saudi Press Agency / EPA

Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir attends the 29th Arab Summit, in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, on April 15, 2018. EPA

The congress room during the 29th Summit of the Arab League at the Ithra Centre in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, on April 15, 2018. AFP

Billboards with photos of Saudi King Salman and Arabic that reads, "welcome" line the road to the convention centre where Arab leaders are meeting for an Arab summit in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, on April 15, 2018. Amr Nabil / AP Photo

A man walks past the convention centre hosting the Arab summit in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, on April 15, 2018. Amr Nabil / AP Photo

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman criticised Donald Trump’s decision to transfer the US embassy to Jerusalem as leaders of the Arab world met in the Kingdom for an annual summit.

Seventeen Arab leaders, minus Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, gathered in the eastern Saudi city of Dhahran as world powers face off over Syria and tensions rise between Riyadh and Tehran.

Opening the 29th Arab League Summit, King Salman said terrorism was the biggest challenge facing Arab leaders and avoided mention of Syria as the meeting opened a day after US-led airstrikes on suspected chemical weapons targets in the country.

King Salman instead focused on Iran and Palestine. He condemned the US plan to move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, sparking anger among the Palestinians and the Arab world, who see the city as the capital of their future state.

He said that the Kingdom will donate $150 million to maintain Islamic heritage in East Jerusalem and called the meeting the “Jerusalem Summit”.

"I name this summit in Dhahran the Jerusalem summit so that the entire world knows Palestine and its people remain at the heart of Arab concerns," he said, adding that "East Jerusalem is an integral part of the Palestinian territories."

Arab leaders also voiced their unwavering support and unity for Palestinians in their opening remarks.

Islamic holy sites in the city, including the revered Al Aqsa mosque  are administered by a Jordanian-run trust known as the Waqf.

King Salman also announced a $50 million donation to UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

The organisation provides aid to more than three million people but is facing serious financial difficulties after Washington announced it was cutting its funds.

In mid-March, UNRWA said it did not have the necessary funds to continue running until the summer.

The strongest criticism of the Trump administration came from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who slammed US decisions on Jerusalem and its decision to withhold millions of dollars to the UN agency that provides health care, education and social services to an estimated five million Palestinians.

Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit criticised the lack of consensus among Arab states on matters of regional security, adding that "joint action is necessary in fighting these crises".

"The crises burning in some corners of the Arab world today... cast a shadow over the safety and security over the entire region," Mr Aboul-Gheit said. "These take a toll on the national security of all of us."

The King also denounced Iran’s “blatant interference” in Arab affairs as the Kingdom is pushing for a tough and unified stance against Tehran. He told Arab leaders that Iran was to blame for instability and meddling in the region.

“We renew our strong condemnation of Iran's terrorist acts in the Arab region and reject its blatant interference in the affairs of Arab countries," he said.

The King said Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, had fired 116 missiles at the kingdom since Saudi Arabia went to war in Yemen three years ago to try to roll back Houthi gains there.

The summit comes as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt are locked off in a months-long diplomatic dispute with Qatar accusing it of supporting terrorism. Doha denies the charges.

Qatar was not represented by a senior official at the summit, instead its delegation was headed by Doha's permanent representative to the Arab League, Saif bin Muqaddam Al Buainain. Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani headed Qatar's delegation at last year's Arab summit in Jordan.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir said on Thursday that Qatar’s crisis would not be on the table at the Arab League summit, Al Arabiya reported.

Most of the 22 other countries are represented by heads of state or government.