American historian and diplomat William R. Polk, one of the principal architects and advisers within the U.S. administration, recorded in his writings and memoirs that King Saud—may God have mercy upon him—strongly opposed every attempt to designate Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, affirming the inviolable Arab and Palestinian rights in the city.
When news reached King Saud in November 1954 that the American and British ambassadors to Israel intended to present their credentials in Jerusalem rather than Tel Aviv, he objected firmly to their disregard of United Nations resolutions calling for the non‑internationalization of Jerusalem and for preserving its Arab character.
He immediately instructed Saudi representatives in Washington and London to contact both governments and lodge an official protest, fully aware of the established Saudi position and of his own absolute rejection of any Western policy that favored Israel or ignored the Palestinian cause.
Polk further warned—through his reports and research—of the grave consequences of dismissing the Saudi stance against Israeli expansion, stressing that any infringement upon Jerusalem constituted a direct provocation to the Arab and Islamic worlds. This historic position aligned with the Kingdom’s long‑standing policy, later reaffirmed in clear official statements rejecting any recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and warning of the dangers of unilateral actions concerning its status.
King Saud did not stop at protest alone. He demanded that the United States close its technical‑assistance mission in the Kingdom and withdraw all its personnel. He then placed the Palestinian question before the Arab League in its Cairo session on 31 March 1955, urging that it be presented at the Bandung Conference of the Non‑Aligned Movement, in firm belief that the Palestinian cause must be carried to international forums to secure global support.
