Kuwaiti ‘lawmakers’ offer full support for Palestinian people

Al-Azhar University hosts conference on Jerusalem

CAIRO, Jan 18, (KUNA): Kuwaiti lawmakers have reiterated the Kuwaiti government and people’s full support for the Palestinians after attending talks on Jerusalem here on Wednesday.

Kuwait’s National Assembly is committed to attending any talks or meetings dedicated to backing the Palestinian issue, Abdulwahab Al-Babtain told KUNA after attending an AlAzhar University-hosted conference on the matter.

The conference was held in light of the US move to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and Israel’s breaches of international law through continuous annexation of occupied Palestinian land.

Recently, Israel approved plans to build some 1,100 settlements in the occupied West Bank, a decision that has been condemned by the European Union and the United Kingdom.

For his part, MP Rakan Al-Nesf recalled National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim’s proposal to suspend the Israeli Knesset membership of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

Al-Ghanim intends to once again raise the issue at upcoming IPU talks in Geneva in March.

The Arab Parliament is working to mobilise a united response in support of the move in relation to the legal cover the Israeli Knesset provides its government’s criminal actions, Al-Nesf added.

Elsewhere, Kuwaiti lawmakers reiterated the calls at a Tehranhosted parliamentary conference attended by Organisation of Islamic Cooperation member countries.

Meanwhile, Head of the International Islamic Charitable Organization, Dr Abdullah Al-Maatouk, stated Wednesday the importance of combining all efforts in order to support Palestine.

Speaking to KUNA, on the sidelines of Al-Azhar’s International Conference in Support of Jerusalem, which kicked off earlier today, Dr Abdullah said that Jerusalem is Palestine’s legitimate capital and not Israel’s after the world’s recognition in the United Nations (UN).

Dr Abdullah added that Kuwait is

eager to participate in any occasion that calls for supporting the Palestinian cause, pointing out that Al-Azhar’s event was attended by top figures from all around the world in politics, religion and culture. He also underlined his support for peace in the region.

The Arab League Secretary-General Ahmad Abul-Gheit strongly denounced the decision of the United States to freeze $65 million of its contribution to the United Nations Relief Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

The decision, announced yesterday, brought into question the US commitment to the efforts to reach a fair, comprehensive and permanent settlement to the Palestine cause, he said in a press release on Wednesday.

“This decision also cast serious doubt on the US role as a credible mediator in the Middle East peace process, which could generate negative and large-scale impacts on several fronts.

“It could undermine the chances to resume the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, foment tensions in the

region and encourage Israel to persist in its extremist policies,” AbulGheit cautioned.

Citing the recurrent Israeli violations of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including the settlement expansions, he said the US move could lead to more extremism and intolerance, which in turn could push the region into a new cycle of violence.

In this connection, the League chief paid tribute to the Palestinian refugees and people at large for the valiance and perseverance they showed in their struggle against the Israeli occupation authorities.