Algiers: The final communique of the 38th Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (AIPU) conference has commended the State of Qatar’s key efforts backing the Palestinian cause, primarily its endeavors for a sustained relief aid entry into the Gaza Strip. The two-day event in Algiers brought together speakers of Arab legislatures to address the AIPU’s role amid the current regional and global transformations. HE Shura Council Speaker Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim chaired the Qatari delegation to the conference.
According to Qatar News Agency, the closing communique hailed Qatar’s initiatives, in coordination with international and regional organizations, streamlining the provision of essential food, medical, and relief supplies to alleviate the suffering of civilians amid the ongoing catastrophic conditions in the enclave. The conferees also praised the ongoing efforts of the State of Qatar and the Arab Republic of Egypt to de-escalate the situation in Gaza, reach a permanent ceasefire agreement, ensure the entry of humanitarian aid, redeploy Israeli forces, exchange prisoners, return displaced persons, and facilitate the treatment of those wounded.
Furthermore, the statement appreciated Qatar’s written memorandum to the International Court of Justice for an advisory opinion on the Israeli occupation’s obligations regarding the presence and activities of the United Nations, other international organizations, and third states. It stressed the importance of this memorandum in supporting relief and humanitarian organizations and ensuring a decent living for the Palestinian people.
The conferees emphasized the centrality of the Palestinian cause and the importance of unifying Arab efforts to confront regional and international challenges. Meanwhile, the event hailed the Grand National Assembly of Turkiye’s initiative to establish a Parliamentary Group in Solidarity with Palestine in a bid to unify international parliamentary efforts to defend the Palestinian cause and support the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including ending the occupation, rejecting settler expansion, preserving the religious character of Jerusalem and maintaining the Palestinian cause on the agenda of international parliamentary forums.
Affirming the centrality of the Palestine question for the Arab nation, the conference called on the AIPU members, who are also members of other international parliaments, to join this group to strengthen a unified global parliamentary front. It reiterated AIPU’s categorical rejection of all Israeli schemes to displace Palestinians and alter the demographic character of the occupied territories, especially Jerusalem, emphasizing the rejection of imposing a fait accompli or any form of forced displacement as a crime against humanity.
The conference called for continued political support to mobilize international support for the Palestinian people and the preservation of their rights, stressing that a just and comprehensive peace can only be achieved through the withdrawal of the occupation from all occupied Arab territories to the borders of June 4, 1967, and through the empowerment of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.
The statement condemned the occupation’s policies, including the establishment of a government agency overseeing the voluntary departure of Palestinians, settler expansion, and racist suggestions to destroy Al-Aqsa Mosque. It warned of the danger of the Israeli entity’s provocations that target the legal and historical status of Jerusalem, and called for urgent international action to protect the holy sites.
The statement emphasized that the AIPU will remain the voice of the Arab nation, defending Arab rights and protecting national sovereignty. It emphasized the need to strengthen its role in addressing regional and international changes, developing parliamentary legislation, and promoting joint Arab action.
The 38th AIPU Conference discussed several topics, primarily enhancing Arab parliamentary cooperation to address current challenges, examining mechanisms that contribute to supporting joint parliamentary action, and consolidating the AIPU’s role in serving Arab issues both regionally and globally.