Palestine's Abbas meets Saudi king in Riyadh

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with Saudi King Salman in Riyadh on Tuesday, according to the official Wafa news agency.

Abbas briefed the Saudi monarch on the latest Palestinian developments, the situation in Jerusalem and ongoing Israeli violations against the Palestinians, Wafa said.

According to the news agency, the Palestinian leader also discussed "conspiracies being orchestrated to endorse the U.S.-proposed "deal of the century" -- a backchannel plan to reach a peace settlement between Israel and the Palestinians.

The Palestinian leadership has rejected U.S. mediation since late 2017 when U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Middle East conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem -- occupied by Israel since 1967 -- might eventually serve as the capital of an independent Palestinian state.