JEDDAH: Events at the new waterfront in Jeddah continue for the fifth day, organized by the General Entertainment Authority (GEA). The events started Jan. 11 and will continue until Jan. 20.
Admission is free of charge, and activities start from 4 p.m., while the shows start at 6 p.m. and end by 11 p.m.
The big stage held a wonderful violin performance of well-known songs such as “Despacito” and many famous Arabic songs.
While walking through the newly opened Jeddah waterfront area, you will find a variety of 10 different activities such as food trucks, games for children and a circus show.
Huge audiences of all ages enjoyed the show on a fully equipped international stage with a DJ playing hot tunes.
The event includes six stages, and each stage provides a different activity such as the Spanish stage, the sailor’s stage, and the big stage.
Jumana Al-Qurachi, an architecture student from Effat University, told Arab News: “I am really thrilled to be here; I can’t believe that we have such activities in Saudi Arabia — I really cannot believe what am seeing — it is so much fun!”
Amal Al-Thubiti, a 23-year-old psychologist who attended the show, told Arab News: “I am really amazed we have such shows here in Saudi Arabia and am looking forward to concerts here of international stars.”
The events of Jeddah Boulevard are supported by the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the GEA; it was organized by Luxury KSA, which has organized 45 events all over the Kingdom.
Mohammed Sindi, one of organizers from Luxury KSA, told Arab News: “The event is held on a one-square-kilometer space that can accommodate 400,000 people. We have over 100 booths, 16 food trucks, break dance shows, Spanish dancing performers and there are 600 organizers to help keep this ongoing event a success; we have police everywhere to make sure everyone is safe.”
Jeddah Entertainment Boulevard, a new concept in having fun during mid-term break
Jeddah Entertainment Boulevard, a new concept in having fun during mid-term break
Amr Moussa: Saudi Arabia and Egypt must lead Arabs for true peace
RIYADH: Amr Moussa, former Arab League secretary-general, has called for the establishment of an effective Arab leadership led by Saudi Arabia and Egypt, in partnership with Jordan, to unify regional positions and negotiate on the Palestinian cause and broader regional future.
During a panel discussion at the King Fahd National Library in Riyadh on Thursday evening, Moussa stressed this was “both vital and achievable” and emphasized the primary goal should be the establishment of a fully sovereign and effective Palestinian state: “True peace is only that which protects all parties … we need genuine peace, not a facade or a superficial justification,” he said.
Such a state must be “responsible for security and peace in the Middle East alongside its neighbors,” rather than a fragile entity, he added.
Moussa underlined that achieving this objective first requires the Arab world to demonstrate the capacity for unified and decisive action. “Are we as Arabs truly capable of being ‘we,’ or has that moment passed?” he asked.
He said the firm positions taken by Saudi Arabia and Egypt in rejecting forced displacement and calling for an end to aggression “underscore that it is possible to assert ‘no’ when the Arab stance is justified.”
Warning of the severe consequences of maintaining the status quo, he added: “If things continue this way … there will inevitably be something akin to October 7 again, because injustice breeds resistance.”
He placed full responsibility on Israel, saying it “bears complete responsibility for the chaos and destruction.”
On a practical mechanism to implement a unified Arab stance, Moussa proposed that Saudi Arabia and Egypt take the lead in establishing a diplomatic baseline, representing their “yeses and noes” in consultation with other Arab states. This framework, he said, would counter any attempts to impose unjust solutions under labels such as the new international “Peace Council,” which might “demand Palestinian concessions on Palestinian land.”
On whether peace was possible with the current Israeli government, which he described as “not committed to peace,” Moussa said: “There are other Israelis who speak the language of peace.” He urged efforts to “identify and support them to create a political alternative within Israel.”
He said the first thing Palestinians should do is hold comprehensive Palestinian elections as soon as possible, utilizing technology to ensure all Palestinians took part, including those in Jerusalem, to select a new leadership “with strong negotiating legitimacy.”
Moussa also warned that the challenges “are not limited to Palestine,” saying the Arab world faces interconnected crises in Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Lebanon and Libya, alongside shifts in the international order and the race for space.
“The issue of our future (requires) reviving a new Arab world,” capable of actively shaping that future rather than being marginalized, the former secretary-general concluded.
