Speakers of the Arab parliaments on Friday urged for joint efforts and action to force Israel to agree to a Gaza ceasefire during their speeches at the inaugural meeting of the Parliamentary Group in Solidarity with Palestine in Istanbul, Türkiye.
Qatar’s Shura Council Speaker Hassan Al-Ghanim called for coordinated parliamentary action to pressure the international community into compelling Israel to halt its attacks on Gaza.
Al-Ghanim said statements of condemnation are no longer sufficient, given the scale of the tragedy in the enclave, where more than 51,000 people have been killed since October 2023.
The territory has been rendered uninhabitable with shortages of food, water, and shelter and almost no or little health facilities, he added.
“Parliaments must now act together to pressure the international community into forcing Israel to stop its assault on Gaza,” he added.
The official said the “success of any just and comprehensive political settlement hinges on an immediate and complete end to Israeli aggression on Gaza.”
Palestinian National Council Speaker Rawhi Fattouh also urged pro-Palestine parliaments around the world to take action to stop Israel’s genocide in Gaza and aggression in the occupied West Bank.
He stressed that “the Palestinian land remains the only territory in the world still under occupation; a disgrace on the world’s conscience.”
“We value the stance of our friend Türkiye in supporting the Palestinian people, rejecting the Israeli occupation, its practices, and the genocidal war it is waging against Gaza, along with its plans to displace our people in Gaza and the West Bank, and its violations in East Jerusalem,” Fattouh also said.
The Parliamentary Group in Solidarity with Palestine is an initiative of Türkiye’s Grand National Assembly aimed at mobilizing legislative bodies worldwide against Israel’s war.