Arab Parliament speaker: Launch of global parliamentary initiative to support Palestinian cause
Arab Parliament speaker announces global initiative to support Palestinian rights and hold occupation accountable
Translated by Qiyas from كونا — Original source
Cairo, October 25 (KUNA) – Arab Parliament Speaker Saad Al-Otaibi announced on Sunday the launch of a global parliamentary initiative to support the Palestinian cause and unify international positions in defense of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, while holding the Israeli occupation accountable for its crimes and violations.
This announcement came during Al-Otaibi’s speech while chairing a meeting of the Parliament’s Palestine Committee. He emphasized that the initiative aims to build an international parliamentary alliance and activate parliamentary diplomacy to pressure for an end to the occupation and its violations, translating international legitimacy resolutions into practical steps.
He clarified that the initiative will support accountability before the International Criminal Court, strengthen the documentation of crimes and violations, and mobilize parliaments and international organizations to stop attacks on Palestinian prisoners and counter legislation targeting their lives. It also aims to protect the Al-Aqsa Mosque and other holy sites, and ensure the continued role of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in serving refugees.
Al-Otaibi noted that efforts will continue to rally international recognition of the State of Palestine and support its full membership in the United Nations, alongside backing the resilience of its people. This includes pressing for the unrestricted entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and its reconstruction under exclusive Palestinian responsibility, while rejecting any plans to displace Palestinians or separate the Gaza Strip from the West Bank and Jerusalem.
In this regard, Al-Otaibi called on national, regional, and international parliaments, as well as parliamentary unions and organizations worldwide, to move from political solidarity to joint parliamentary action and take effective and impactful measures to defend justice and the legitimate rights of peoples.
He stressed that the continuous crimes and violations against the Palestinian people “impose a historical responsibility requiring active Arab parliamentary action that translates firm positions into practical steps at both the regional and international levels,” affirming that “defending the rights of the Palestinian people and countering attempts to liquidate their cause is a national duty.”
He considered that the continuation of Israeli occupation crimes in the Gaza Strip, accompanied by killing, destruction, starvation, forced displacement, and obstruction of humanitarian aid delivery, places the international community under a legal, moral, and historical responsibility that cannot be shirked.
Al-Otaibi warned that the escalation of settler attacks in the occupied West Bank, settlement expansion, confiscation of Palestinian land, and continuous violations against Islamic and Christian holy sites in occupied Jerusalem represent policies aimed at undermining the foundations of Palestinian existence and imposing a new reality on the ground. In this context, he called for a firm international stance and practical measures to halt these violations and hold occupation officials accountable for these crimes.
He also called for reforming the international work system, ending “double standards and selectivity” in the application of international law, and enhancing the effectiveness of the United Nations and its institutions in implementing resolutions of international legitimacy. He affirmed that “the credibility of the international system is measured by its ability to implement its resolutions, protect peoples from violations, secure justice for victims, and ensure impunity does not prevail.”
On another note, Al-Otaibi condemned Colombia’s opening of an embassy in occupied Jerusalem, calling for global parliamentary action to urge Colombia to reverse this step in respect of international law and relevant UN resolutions.
He affirmed that the Arab Parliament will continue its activities across various forums, follow up on the implementation of its resolutions, and translate them into actionable, monitorable, and evaluable steps that contribute to supporting the Palestinian people’s struggle to achieve their freedom, independence, and the establishment of their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital. (End) M.M. / N.B.S.
