The Council of Ministers, which was presided over by Crown Prince Salman, congratulated the Palestinian government and people for winning the nonmember observer state status at the United Nations.
The 193-member UN General Assembly voted 138 in favor of the plan last Thursday, with only nine against and 41 abstentions. The scale of defeat represented a strong and public repudiation for Israel and the US, who now find themselves at odds with the rest of the world.
“The Cabinet welcomed the General Assembly’s decision and congratulated the government and people of Palestine for this historic achievement which embodies the international community’s support for the just Palestinian cause,” said Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja after the Cabinet meeting.
The Saudi Cabinet reiterated its support for the Palestinians to obtain their legitimate rights, particularly the establishment of an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.
“The Cabinet also expressed the Kingdom’s hope that the UN Security Council will consider positively the decision adopted by the majority of the international community as an impetus for international peace and not as a hindrance for peace,” Khoja said.
At the outset of the Cabinet session, Prince Salman and the ministers hailed the success of a back surgery that Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah underwent recently, and prayed for the king’s good health and quick recovery.
The Cabinet expressed the Kingdom’s pride over the inauguration of King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz International Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue in Vienna and its appreciation to Austria for hosting the center and Spain for its cooperation and others for supporting the humanitarian vision.
The Cabinet welcomed a statement issued by the 5th session of the Turkish-Arab Cooperation Forum in Istanbul, which emphasized the importance of strengthening Arab-Turkish strategic cooperation.
Khoja said the Cabinet adopted a series of decisions to reorganize school health services. It decided to move the general administration of school health and school health units from the Education Ministry to the Ministry of Health.
School health services shall be provided by the Health Ministry’s hospitals and centers throughout the Kingdom.
However, the Department of School Health Affairs shall remain with the Education Ministry, Khoja said, adding that it shall be responsible for the educational aspects and coordination with the authorities concerned in the Health Ministry.
The Education Ministry shall continue to provide health and physical education, fitness test and health promotion. It will ensure environmental sanitation and occupational health of school workers and provide nutrition education and first-aid services as well as psychiatric counseling.
School health services shall be provided through a nurse specialized in school health and shall be linked to the Directorate of Health Affairs in the region or city. A nurse shall provide health services in a maximum of five schools.
A doctor shall supervise a number of nurses and will be linked to the Directorate of Health Affairs. The Ministry of Education shall name two teachers at each school with 100 or more students and one teacher at schools with less than 100 students to help the nurse in school health matters. The teacher charged with the tasks of school health shall be given only eight classes weekly.
The Cabinet appointed Awadallah bin Murshid Al-Rehaily assistant vice president of General Auditing Bureau for branches affairs; Sultan bin Mohammed Al-Sultan financial adviser at General Auditing Bureau; Reda bin Abdul Mohsen Al-Zughaibi and Riyad bin Saud Al-Khunaini as ministers plenipotentiary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
