A New Year
Congratulations to the Islamic nation, and all of humanity, on the new year whose sun has risen upon us.
I extend my heartfelt greetings, especially to my brothers and sisters in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and I pray that Almighty God will continue to bless us with faith in Him and in His Messenger (peace be upon him).
Our sun has risen high, creating rays of love, peace, and harmony, radiating with the promise that our leader, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, made after ascending to the throne:
"I ask God to help me serve the dear people and realize their dreams, and protect our country and security and stability, and protect it from all evil."
He also added - may God support him:
"Today, our Arab and Islamic nation is in dire need of unity and solidarity. We in this country, which God has honored by choosing it as the starting point of His message and the Qibla of Muslims, will continue to seek unity, bring hearts together, and, guided by the teachings of our noble Islamic faith, defend the causes of our nation. The Almighty has chosen this for us and instilled faith in peace, mercy, moderation, and balance."
The King has indeed kept his word and fulfilled his promise.
Now we see our Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, fulfilling his promises to our King. He is serving our people, consolidating security and stability, and striving for our nation's unity, with his conferences and statements reaffirming the Kingdom's solid support for our causes, especially the Palestinian cause.
World leaders have come to admire His Highness, and many are now seeking his counsel and support.
Our Crown Prince continues to follow through on his social and economic development commitments of Vision 2030. Meanwhile, our Foreign Minister has been flying around the world to foster unity and bring people together, and our other ministers are roaming the globe to draw the industries, technologies, and investments the country needs if the Kingdom is to fulfill its ultimate duty, empowering its citizens and transforming the Kingdom into a beacon of humanity, just as the martyr King Faisal bin Abdulaziz had hoped. Today, that vision has become reality.
We now see our citizens providing priceless services, not only to the Muslims making pilgrimage but also to people across the world through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, which operates in 106 countries.
We and our noble religion are blessed. We rejoice at our wise leadership. From King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman to this day, our leaders have fostered prosperity and raised our ambitions for the future as high as the heavens.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
39 minutes ago
- Arab News
The families of hostages held in Gaza hope for their own ceasefire after truce in Israel-Iran war
'Now it's the time to pressure them and tell them, look, you are on your own. No one is coming to your help. This is it,' Berman said'The achievements in Iran are important and welcome, enabling us to end the war from a position of strength with Israel holding the upper hand,' said the Hostages Families ForumOR AKIVA, Israel: Liran Berman hasn't had much to keep hopeful over the 629 days of his twin brothers' captivity in Gaza. Ceasefire deals have collapsed, the war has dragged on, and his siblings remain hostages in the Palestinian the war between Israel and Iran, and the US-brokered ceasefire that halted 12 days of fighting, have sparked fresh hope that his brothers, Gali and Ziv, may finally return Iran dealt a serious blow over nearly two weeks of fierce Israeli strikes, Berman believes Hamas, armed and financed by Iran, is at its most isolated since the war in Gaza began, and that might prompt the militant group to soften its negotiating positions.'Now it's the time to pressure them and tell them, look, you are on your own. No one is coming to your help. This is it,' Berman said. 'I think the dominoes fell into place, and it's time for diplomacy to reign now.'A long nightmare for the families of hostagesDuring their Oct. 7, 2023, attack, Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. Most have been freed in ceasefire deals, but 50 remain captive, less than half of them believed to still be war has killed over 56,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many were civilians or combatants. It says more than half of the dead were women and families of hostages have faced a 20-month-long nightmare, trying to advocate for their loved ones' fates while confronted with the whims of Israeli and Hamas leaders and the other crises that have engulfed the Middle war with Iran, the first between the two countries, pushed the hostage crisis and the plight of Palestinian civilians in Gaza to the sidelines. Hostage families again found themselves forced to fight for the spotlight with another regional as the conflict eases, the families are hoping mediators seize the momentum to push for a new ceasefire deal.'The achievements in Iran are important and welcome, enabling us to end the war from a position of strength with Israel holding the upper hand,' said the Hostages Families Forum, a grassroots organization representing many of the hostage families.'To conclude this decisive operation against Iran without leveraging our success to bring home all the hostages would be a grave failure.'Netanyahu may have more room to maneuverIt's not just a diminished Iran and its impact on Hamas that gives hostage families hope. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, riding a wave of public support for the Iran war and its achievements, could feel he has more space to move toward ending the war in Gaza, something his far-right governing partners has repeatedly said it is prepared to free all the hostages in exchange for an end to the war in Gaza. Netanyahu says he will only end the war once Hamas is disarmed and exiled, something the group has said the ceasefire between Israel and Iran has left him the most optimistic since a truce between Israel and Hamas freed 33 Israeli hostages earlier this year. Israel shattered that ceasefire after eight weeks, and little progress has been made toward a new Israeli government team coordinating hostage negotiations has told the families it now sees a window of opportunity that could force Hamas to be 'more flexible in their demands,' Berman 'Axis of Resistance' is in disarrayOver the past four decades, Iran built up a network of militant proxy groups it called the ' Axis of Resistance ' that wielded significant power across the region, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthi rebels in Yemen, and militias in Iraq and may have envisioned the Oct. 7, 2023, attack as a catalyst that would see other Iranian-sponsored militants attack Israel. While Hezbollah and the Houthis launched projectiles toward Israel, the support Hamas had counted on never fully materialized. In the past two years, many of those Iranian proxies have been decimated, changing the face of the Middle President Donald Trump's involvement in securing a ceasefire between Israel and Iran has also given many hostage families hope that he might exert more pressure for a deal in Gaza.'We probably need Trump to tell us to end the war in Gaza,' Berman twins who remain in captivityGali and Ziv Berman, 27, were taken from their homes in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, on the border with Gaza, during the Oct. 7 attack. Seventeen others were also abducted there; of those, only the Berman twins remain family has heard from hostages who returned in the previous deal that, as of February, the brothers were alive but being held Berman said that's the longest the two have ever spent apart. Until their abduction, they were inseparable, though they are very different, the 38-year-old Kfar Aza, the twins lived in apartments across from each other. Gali is more outgoing, while Ziv is more reserved and shy with a sharp sense of humor, their brother said. Gali is the handyman who would drive four hours to help a friend hang a shelf, while Ziv would go along and point to where the shelf needed to war with Iran, during which Iranian missiles pounded Israeli cities for 12 days, gave Liran Berman a sense of what his brothers have endured as bombs rained down on Gaza, he said.'The uncertainty and the fear for your life for any moment, they are feeling it for 20 months,' he said. 'Every moment can be your last.'
Saudi Gazette
an hour ago
- Saudi Gazette
Saudi Arabia highlights global leadership in protecting children in cyberspace
Saudi Gazette report GENEVA — The Permanent Mission of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations in Geneva organized an event on enhancing capacity building to protect children in cyberspace as a shared global responsibility. This was part of the global initiative titled 'Child Protection in Cyberspace' (CPC) launched by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman. The event was held on the sidelines of the 59th session of the UN Human Rights Council in partnership with the National Cybersecurity Authority (NCA) and the Global Cybersecurity Forum (GCF). The CPC initiative aims to provide a safe and empowering environment for children worldwide. The session, attended by the Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations Ambassador Abdulmohsen Majed bin Khothaila, featured participation from the GCF, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the WeProtect Global Alliance. The session highlighted Saudi Arabia's pioneering efforts in protecting children in cyberspace through a comprehensive and proactive approach that includes implementing national frameworks, developing educational programs, and enhancing international cooperation in the field. These efforts align with the objectives of Vision 2030, which places investment in human capital at the core of social and economic development. Meanwhile, the GCF launched a joint project with UNICEF aimed at training and preparing over 5 million parents and caregivers worldwide on best practices to protect children from cyber risks, along with providing specialized technical support to child helpline service providers in 30 countries. The session concluded with participants emphasizing the importance of building effective partnerships between countries, international organizations, and the private sector to implement comprehensive capacity-building programs and ensure the protection of children in cyberspace.
Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
Saudi foreign minister discusses Syria's stability with US envoy
LONDON: Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi minister of foreign affairs, received Tom Barrack, the US envoy to Syria, in Riyadh. During the meeting on Thursday, officials discussed ways to support the Syrian Arab Republic in enhancing its security, stability, and economic recovery, reported the Saudi Press Agency.
