Palestinian Deputy Premier and Minister of Information Dr. Nabeel Shaath hailed the central role played by Saudi Arabia in helping the Palestinian people. In a speech today on behalf of the Palestinian president Mahmood Abbas in a ceremony on the occasion of laying the foundation stone of a housing project for Palestinian families in the city of Rafah, he thanked Saudi Arabia for its support for the Palestinian people. Shaath commended efforts exerted by the Saudi Committee for Relief of the Palestinian People supervised by Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz for alleviating the suffering of Palestinian refugees.