Kuwait says to continue supporting Palestinians

MP, Union praise Al-Ghanim’s speech

By Abubakar A. Ibrahim

Arab Times Staff

KUWAIT CITY, July 29: It is regrettable that Arab and Islamic ranks are seeking to spread the idea of defeat in relation to the Palestinian cause, says Parliament Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim.

The Speaker made the statement before the emergency conference of the Arab Parliamentary Union in Rabat, Morocco to discuss the situation in Jerusalem.

He added that Kuwait will continue to support Palestinians and reject calls to surrender.

Al-Ghanim affirmed the people of Kuwait, who studied at Sabah Al-Ahmad School and are part of the Arab and Muslim world, will not be complacent and they will not succumb to defeatist thoughts on the Palestinian cause.

“Some people are promoting the concept of surrender and questioning the value of conferences and meetings on Palestine. They want Arabs and Muslims to stop discussing or focusing on the Palestinian cause,” he disclosed.

The speaker went on to say, “At this point, I ask the losers and the weak: Is it because we are unable to support the Palestinians with weapons that we give up all forms of victory. Do you want us to give up all of our emotional and sympathetic stances towards them?”

Support

Addressing those present at the conference, Al-Ghanim asserted: “It is our duty as representatives of Arab parliaments to support Palestine and Al-Aqsa Mosque.

“This is our first Arab cause. We have to honestly represent the pulse of the nation, its feelings and conscience.”

He added, “After two months, the Parliaments of the world will meet in Saint Petersburg. Before that, the work of the United Nations General Assembly will begin, followed by dozens of continental conferences and international forums. Our main responsibility is to keep the Palestinian cause conscious and alive on the world map.”

Meanwhile, MP Khalil Al-Saleh praised the speaker for conveying a clear message about the Kuwaiti fingerprint, Islamic identity and Arab eloquence towards the unprecedented aggression of the Zionist entity.

He stressed that the categorical position of Kuwait on normalizing relations with the Zionist entity is solidified through such words, which cannot be penetrated by doubts or attempts to undermine our resolve to confront the Zionist entity by all means.

He pointed out, “The Zionist attacks on our holy sites have reached a point not seen in history. Therefore, Arab and Islamic positions must match the magnitude of such attacks which brought deep pain to our hearts.”

He asserted the role of Arab parliaments in political, diplomatic and humanitarian struggles must remain the language of the people, considering the sacrifice made by Palestinians to support them.

Furthermore, the Union of Workers at the Secretariat General of the National Assembly lauded the speech of Al-Ghanim. CAIRO, July 29, (KUNA): Algerian Minister for Maghreb and African Affairs Abdelkader Messahel on Thursday called for continued pressures by the Arab group on Israel not to repeat its crimes in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Messahel made the statement before an emergency meeting of Arab League ministerial talks discussing Israel’s recent installation of metal detectors and surveillance cameras at Al-Aqsa Mosque’s gates in Jerusalem.

The meeting is held amid emergency conditions as Israel shut down Al-Aqsa Mosque for the first time in 48 years and attacked Muslim worshipers in an attempt to Judaize Islamic sanctities, he said.

Such acts run counter to both the international law and legitimacy, he noted, warning against continued practices facing Arabs, Muslims and the international community that may aggravate situation, and affect peace and stability in the region.

The Algerian minister called for intensifying and unifying efforts effectively on all levels, mainly at the UN Security Council, to put an end to such provocations and practices committed by Israel.

He stressed the importance of working on the full protection of the Palestinian people and sanctities, urging the Palestinian people to be united in the face of major challenges.

He renewed Algeria’s solidarity with the Palestinian leadership and people, expressing his country’s continued support for Palestinians and their fair cause so as to restore their rights, mainly the establishment of an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.

Meanwhile, Arab League Secretary General Ahmad Abul-Gheit affirmed that Arab people would never give up backing either Al-Aqsa Mosque or AlHaram Al-Sharif.

“We can’t delay in responding to the protecting of Al-Aqsa Mosque,” he told the meeting.

“Those who think that Al-Aqsa means only Palestinians, as it is part of their land are wrong, because AlAqsa belongs to all Arab and Muslim people, he said.

He stressed the message is clear and unequivocal that Jerusalem is a “red line”, indicating that “we do not allow anyone to violate it, nor do we accept that the reality of the occupation rejected by all of us and the entire world is an attempt to change the status quo in this blessed place.”

Jerusalem is similar to all territories occupied by Israel on June 5, 1967, and so the Israeli authorities have not any sovereignty on neither Al-Haram Al-Sharif nor Al-Aqsa Mosque, he warned.

Abul-Gheit affirmed that the recent measures at Al-Haram Al-Sharif compound taken by Israel are illegal and unprecedented, referring that the Arab solidarity and unity are the only way to confront anyone who may seek to violate their sanctities.

He lauded the stance by both the Palestinian people and leadership towards the recent measures.

Despite Israel removed metal detectors and surveillance cameras imposed at Al-Aqsa’s gates, this does not mean that it changed its policy, he made clear.

He underlined the importance of confronting the Israeli policies aiming to preempt negotiations for a final settlement and impose a fait accompli that would eliminate the current nature in the Holy City.

In a similar speech, Kuwait’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah urged the international community to bear its responsibility in putting a stop to Israeli “criminal” practices in Jerusalem.

He expressed Kuwait’s utter condemnation of these actions, describing the measures as “repressive” and “arbitrary”.

He called for a firm stance on the measures from the international community. Emiratis check dates displayed in baskets during the annual Liwa Date Festival in the western region of Liwa, south of Abu Dhabi on July 28. The UAE grows five types of dates which are displayed during the festival with judges

checking the quality of the dates and later visiting the date farms before a final winner is chosen. (AFP)

An Emirati woman collects water from a well to water palm trees during the annual Liwa Date Festival in the western region of Liwa, south of Abu Dhabi on July 28. (AFP)