Saudi Arabia will begin talks with the Palestinian Authority to discuss how the PA can plug its $1.2 billion deficit. “We expect the Saudi government to continue to stand by the Palestinian people as it has always done in the past, before there was a (Palestinian) authority,” one Palestinian diplomat said. Israel halted tax payments to the PA after the Hamas victory last week. Saudi Arabia and Qatar will provide the PA with $33 million in emergency aid to make up the difference. Talks will take place in the Saudi capital of Riyadh.