The leading citizens of the Hijaz were fearful that, following the surrender of Jeddah, the Hijaz might simply be incorporated into the sultanate of the Nejd where, because of their laxer lifestyles, they might well be deemed inferior citizens by their more puritanical brethren.
Hajji Abdullah Alireza therefore approached Ibn Saud and urged him to form a new political entity, the Kingdom of Nejd and Hijaz. Ibn Saud agreed to the proposal in principle, recognizing that such a political device would allow the Hijaz to retain its own particular identity while still forming part of Ibn Saud's Kingdom.