Deputy Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Prince Salman chairs the weekly Cabinet meeting in Jeddah. (SPA)

The Council of Ministers on Monday approved an agreement with Yemen to swap persons jailed in the two countries.

The meeting, which was chaired by Deputy Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Prince Salman, also condemned the Israeli move to expand Jewish settlements in the occupied territories.

The Cabinet welcomed the formation of the Palestine national reconciliation government and urged the world to support its efforts to restore the rights of the Palestinian people.

The Israeli authorities have announced hundreds of tenders for the construction of housing units in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. “The international community must address these arbitrary actions by Israel aimed at undermining the peace process,” the Cabinet said.

Prince Salman briefed the Cabinet on his talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sissi in Cairo after attending his inauguration ceremony on behalf of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.

Prince Salman reiterated the Kingdom’s position in support of Egypt’s security and stability.

The Cabinet also underlined the support expressed by the king in a cable of congratulations to El-Sissi following his election victory. Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja also congratulated the new Egyptian president.

The Cabinet welcomed World Bank President Jim Yong Kim’s trib- ute to Saudi Arabia for aiding many countries in the region and its lead- ing role in supporting the bank’s activities.

Spelling out the Cabinet decisions, Khoja said it approved the appoint- ment of the commander of the Royal Guard to the Military Service Council.

It amended Article Five of the National Center for Documentation and Archives, and said it would have a commission with 12 members, with the chief of the Royal Court as its president.

The Cabinet authorized Prince Salman to discuss with the Czech Republic a draft agreement on defense cooperation.

The Cabinet renewed the four- year contract of Abdul Aziz bin Mohammed Al- Suwailem as vice president for scientific research at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology. It appointed Mubarak bin Abdulaziz Al-Wohaibi as consul- tant at the Ministry of Finance; Abdullah bin Suwailem Al-Namlah head of sector at the Ministry of Finance; and Fahd bin Mohammad Almotlaq administrative advisor at the Social Affairs Ministry.