King Saud’s Statement at the Launch of the Saudi Oil Tanker “King Saud I”
(1373 AH / 1954 AD)
“I wish to affirm to everyone that we, the Arabs, believe in human brotherhood; we uphold it, and we call for it. The Arabs and Muslims have contributed greatly to the spread of civilization, culture, and progress throughout the world. Therefore, our call for this brotherhood, and for the freedom of nations and their exercise of their recognized rights within the established international systems, is but a continuation of the noble tradition that has characterized the Arabs in both their past and present.
On this basis, we believe in the right of the Arabs to live in their homelands free and dignified, and to partake—through their own efforts—in the fruits of human progress. It is a source of honor for me, and for my fellow free men, to strive toward this goal in service of our peoples: to unite their scattered ranks in a comprehensive Arab national unity, bringing together all Arabs wherever they may be in our great shared Arab homeland. We believe in this unity, we seek it, and we struggle together for it, so that it may contribute to the establishment of security, justice, freedom, equality, and prosperity for the entire world.
I wish to emphasize that our efforts to unite the Arabs, gather their word, and bring them together in complete unity are not aimed at aggression against anyone. Rather, they are aimed at enabling us to exercise our rights in our own lands—free and dignified.
It is self‑evident that I must declare that the Arabs have been wronged in many of their homelands, and have been prevented—by force—from exercising their legitimate rights. We, together with our fellow Arabs, seek through peaceful means to restore our usurped rights. Palestine stands foremost among the grievances of the Arabs, who strive to find a peaceful solution to remove the injustice. Likewise, North Africa, South Arabia, and the eastern regions receive from us the same attention and efforts toward restoring the rights of their peoples as Palestine itself.
I take this opportunity to clarify to the conscience of the world—through you—that we have been wronged in Palestine, in North Africa, in the Arabian Peninsula, in South Arabia, and in its eastern regions. Those who aided in this injustice were our friends in the West—those whom we befriended, allied with, and fought alongside in their struggle to liberate their countries in two wars. In those wars, the Arabs played a significant role, acknowledged by those very friends, and which helped tip the balance in their favor. Yet these friends have forgotten the efforts of the Arabs and their comradeship in arms and struggle, and they have not fulfilled their promises to them.”
إذا رغبت، يمكنني إعداد نسخة مختصرة، أو صياغة متحفية مناسبة للعرض، أو تحليل سياقي يربط هذا التصريح بمواقف الملك سعود السياسية تجاه القضايا العربية، خصوصاً فلسطين.