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International Parliamentarian Club meets in Gaza

April 11, 2016 at 10:43 am

The International Parliamentarian Club (IPC), with membership including Palestinian, Arab, Islamic and European MPs, held a meeting on Sunday dedicated to the support of the Palestinian cause, QudsNet has reported. Twelve MPs and representatives of Arab and European parliamentarians took part in the meeting, which was organised by the Hamas bloc in the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) — the Palestinian parliament — and involved virtual participation due to the siege of the enclave.

The First Deputy of the PLC, Ahmed Bahar, told those involved that all parliaments around the world should visit the PLC in the Gaza Strip as a first step towards lifting the Israeli-led siege of the Palestinian territory. He also demanded that pressure should be exerted on Mahmoud Abbas to cancel the decision to form a Constitutional Court. The Palestinian president, he added, should stand by the people. Bahar ended by calling on Saudi Arabia’s King Salman to take action in support of the Palestinian cause.

The head of the Hamas bloc in the PLC, Khalil Al-Hayyah, said that the body should be reactivated along with the Palestinian National Council through free elections. He stressed that Al-Quds Intifada (“the Jerusalem uprising”) is the gateway to Palestinian unity.

A number of other speakers sent video messages as they were unable to attend in person due to the siege. All called for it to be lifted and for an end to the Israeli occupation. A Deputy of the Indonesian parliament, Hidayeh Nour Wahid, made reference to Israel’s “kidnapping” and detention of Palestinian MPs, in contravention of international law and human rights.

Holding the meeting in Gaza, in the face of the Israeli blockade, was symbolic of the “persistence and defiance” of the people of Palestine, said one delegate. In this context, the First Deputy of the Arab Parliament established by the Arab League, Samia Ahmed, pointed out that the Palestinian issue is always on the agenda at all meetings of the organisation. She explained that the Arab Parliament has been doing its best to get all of the international, UN and Arab resolutions in support of Palestine implemented. The Sudanese parliamentarian called for all Gaza crossings to be opened, including the Rafah Crossing to and from Egypt, as well as for sea and air ports to be developed in order to give the Palestinians access to the outside world.