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The Fahd Plan was formally presented at the Arab Summit in Fez in November 1981. Between August and November, the Plan had caused considerable debate in the Arab world. It was contentious in that it recognized the right of Israel to exist; it was also contentious because it aimed to solve the Palestinian/Israel problem once and for all, thus providing the Palestinians with the independence they sought. The PLO and many other Arab countries voiced support for the Plan.

The Fahd Plan was adopted with minor changes. It remains true that any settlement of the Palestine–Israel problem will have to be based on its provisions. The collapse of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak’s attempts to negotiate a peace settlement in 2000–2001 stemmed from his failure to grasp that the provisions of the Fahd Plan are the only basis on which a peaceful resolution is possible.

The years both before and after the Fahd Plan have not been happy ones for the Palestinians. Throughout these years, in addition to diplomatic efforts to encourage the peace process, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been unstinting in its generosity to the Palestinian people. It is clear that the plight of the Palestinians has been in the forefront of King Fahd’s mind throughout. A scrutiny of the minutes of almost any of the weekly meetings of the Saudi Council of Ministers will reveal mentions of the Palestinians and the aid that King Fahd personally, or the Saudi Government, or the Saudi people as a whole, are sending to them.