Saudi Arabia

28 Mar 2023; MEMO: A group of British Jews have taken part in a rare interfaith initiative in Saudi Arabia where they were allowed to enter and plant palm trees in the sacred city of Madinah, the second holiest site in Islam after Makkah.

27 Mar 2023; MEMO: The foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia are to meet during the holy month of Ramadan, according to an announcement today by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

24 Mar 2023; MEMO: Saudi Arabia yesterday condemned a recent decision made by the Israeli Knesset that allows Jewish-only resettlement of four previously evacuated illegal settlements and outposts in the occupied West Bank.

24 Mar 2023; MEMO: The Saudi government has granted amnesty and released a large number of detainees who had been imprisoned in the Kingdom's jails for minor infractions.

According to the Director General of the Prisons Department, the process of releasing the prisoners has already begun in accordance with the King's decree and the directive of the Minister of Interior, Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef.

23 Mar 2023; MEMO: Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al Saud, agreed to meet with his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, soon in order to pave the way for the reopening of embassies and consulates.

The official Saudi Press Agency reported today that the two ministers exchanged greetings on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan.

23 Mar 2023; MEMO: Syria and Saudi Arabia have agreed to re-open their embassies after cutting diplomatic ties more than a decade ago, three sources with knowledge of the matter said, a step that would mark a leap forward in Damascus's return to the Arab fold, Reuters reports.

21 Mar 2023; MEMO: Saudi Arabia's investment in Credit Suisse is almost wiped out and is expected to lose $1.5 billion, the Wall Street Journal has reported. Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman directed the government-backed Saudi national bank to make the investment last year following an increase in the price of oil. He reportedly made the investment against the opinion of his advisers.

RIYADH, March 21 (Reuters) - Saudi authorities released on Tuesday a U.S. citizen jailed for 19 years for posting criticism of the government on Twitter but he remains banned from travelling, his son said, as the kingdom moves to ease tension with the United States.

Saad Ibrahim Almadi, 72, was jailed for 16 years by a criminal court in 2022 and an appeals court increased his sentence to 19 years last month.

His son, Ibrahim, told Reuters his father was at his home in Riyadh with his family.

21 Mar 2023; MEMO: The Saudi Arabian authorities have freed a prisoner with dual Saudi-US citizenship after widespread pressure for his release, Associated Press has reported. Saad Almadi, 72, has lived in Florida for years, and was visiting his homeland when he was arrested a year ago.

20 Mar 2023; MEMO: Saudi Arabia plans to reopen its consulate in the Syrian capital, Damascus, nearly 12 years after it was closed due to the outbreak of the civil war, Russia's Sputnik news agency reported.

The agency quoted sources as saying that the kingdom may reopen the consulate in Damascus after the Eid Al-Fitr holiday, which follows the holy month of Ramadan.