RIYADH: Two prominent Saudi human rights activists have refrained from diatribe and affirmed their hopes Saturday that the US and Saudi governments would move quickly into damage control mode, if the new legislation called Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) inflicts damages on bilateral relations.
The act can’t strain ties between the two countries, they said.
Saleh Alkhathlan, vice president of the National Society of Human Rights (NSHR), and Ibrahim Al-Qayid, NSHR founding member, made these remarks here. Alkhathlan, however, observed that “JASTA is an important indication of the changing mode among elite circles in Washington toward Riyadh, but it doesn’t in any way represent a turning point in the decades-old US-Saudi relationship.”
A large number of Arab and world leaders have expressed their concerns after the US Congress voted Wednesday to override a presidential veto of JASTA. But many leaders, academics, political analysts, and human rights activists have expressed their hope that the Saudi and US governments have the ability to control any damage caused by JASTA.
Alkhathlan said: “I am confident that the two governments will find ways to control any damage the legislation can inflict, or the subsequent court proceedings may cause."
“It is important for both— the US and the Kingdom— to recognize and let it be known that they are indispensable to each other,” said the NSHR deputy chief, adding that “there will be long and strenuous court battles but still the political will of both parties will help protect the relationship between the two countries.”
He further said that “we should also not forget that the same US Congress that voted to override the US president’s veto, just a week ago voted against a bill to stop selling arms to Saudi Arabia.” Moreover, this region is still open to many political and security challenges of significant consequences to the world that can’t be confronted and solved without the full cooperation of Saudi Arabia and the US, he observed.
“My advice to the Saudi government is to restore to its history proven, quite successful diplomacy in this case, and avoid any act or statement that may inadvertently complicate this issue,” said Alkhathlan, who is also a professor of political science at the Riyadh-based King Saud University.
Referring to the problems that can be caused by JASTA, Al-Qayid said that this act violates the longstanding accepted convention to protect the sovereignty of foreign countries. “The passing of JASTA has created chaos,” said Al-Qayid, adding that the Kingdom has been complying with all international norms and regulations. It has been a member of the UN since its inception, he added.
“In fact, the Kingdom has been a victim of terrorism, besides being a partner of Western nations including the US to curb terrorism,” said Al-Qayid, who is also a veteran training consultant. He said that the Kingdom has been a friend and ally, besides being one of the most important political and commercial partners of the United States. “To my mind, it may be an election gimmick as the US election is quite at hand,” he said.
Damage to Saudi-US ties ‘can be controlled’
Damage to Saudi-US ties ‘can be controlled’
Saudi surgeons train Indonesian doctors in maxillofacial, thyroid surgery
- Saudi team is embedded with a general hospital in eastern Indonesian city of Makassar
- During their stay in Indonesia, they performed free maxillofacial, thyroid surgery on 60 patients
JAKARTA: A 19-member surgical team from Saudi Arabia has trained Indonesian doctors in oral, maxillofacial and thyroid surgery under a King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center program to expand access to advanced medical procedures in eastern Indonesia.
The Saudi medics were embedded with their Indonesian colleagues at the Wahidin Sudirohusodo Central General Hospital in Makassar, South Sulawesi province.
“KSrelief’s medical team consisted of surgeons and consultants, so doctors from our hospital had the opportunity to directly observe surgical procedures done by the Saudi doctors that have never been performed here,” Aulia Yamin, spokesperson of the Makassar hospital, told Arab News on Tuesday.
“There were also in-depth discussions on diagnosis and plans for surgery for highly complex cases.”
The KSrelief team was in Indonesia in late December, during which Saudi doctors performed free maxillofacial and thyroid surgery on 60 patients, she added.
The transfer of knowledge by KSrelief also supported Indonesia’s health system transformation plan, which seeks to improve access and quality of services in all regional government hospitals, particularly in eastern Indonesia.
“Makassar is the primary transportation and health referral hub for eastern Indonesia, which means there’s a high number of cases requiring maxillofacial and thyroid surgeries,” Yamin said.
“We hope that this collaboration can continue in the future for other cases, so that more Indonesians can benefit from the program.”
The KSrelief program had also included guest lectures by the Saudi doctors, covering facial and jaw reconstruction as well as updated and new approaches to paranoid gland surgery.
“We’re really thankful to the very hard work that we saw here. The (Indonesian) team was with us day and night and throughout very long surgeries and very complex surgeries,” Prof. Basem T. Jamal, who led the KSrelief team in Makassar, said in a video statement.
“And not only was it supporting the medical effort, but there was always interest in expressing and exchanging knowledge and experiences, and it was really really, a very rich experience for all of us.”
KSrelief has conducted similar programs in other parts of Indonesia, including in Medan, North Sumatra in 2024 that focused on training Indonesian doctors in advanced cardiac procedures on adults and children.
