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Palestine appreciates Kuwait support for UNSC move against Israel

Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat
Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat
KUWAIT, Oct 29 (KUNA) -- Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat on Wednesday appreciated Kuwait's support for the Palestinian lobbying at UN Security Council (UNSC) for a move to end the Israeli occupation.
Erekat, member of the executive committee of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), expressed gratitude to Kuwait for its USD two million donation to the reconstruction of Gaza in the aftermath of the Israeli aggression.
Speaking to reporters at Palestine Embassy here following his meeting First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, the Palestinian official said the State of Kuwait is firm supporter of the Palestinian cause at all international forums.
He said he conveyed a message from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah carrying congratulation on the UN naming of His Highness the Amir as Humanitarian Leader and of Kuwait as Humanitarian Center.
Erekat noted that the meeting with Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled reviewed the latest developments relating to the Palestinian question as well as the contacts with the US Administration and the EU as well as the UNSC member states. "It's very important to coordinate stances with Kuwait continuously in all fields given the fact that the country is the current president of the Arab Summit and the follow-up committee on Arab peace initiative," he pointed out.
"I've asked Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled to arrange for a visit to Kuwait by Palestinian Prime Minister Dr. Rami Al-Hamdallah and Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Mohammad Mustafa to discuss a range of bilateral issues," he disclosed.
Erekat thanked Minister of Information and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah and Kuwait National Council for Culture, Art and Letters (NCCAL) for organizing the Palestinian cultural days, to be held for the first time in Kuwait.
On the Israeli settlement policy, he said the Israeli government persists in undermining the international peace efforts and the two-state principle of the peace process.
"The recent Israeli violations, particularly the Jewish incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and the forcible eviction of 26 families from the holy city, transgressed all redlines and rules outlined by the international laws.
"The Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip are tantamount to war crimes," he said, affirming the Palestinian resolve to take the Israeli leaders to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
He also condemned the Israeli government plans for building 1,600 new housing units in the Jewish settlements in the occupied East Jerusalem, noting that the illegal settlement expansions provided the necessary justification for the Palestinian quest for a UNSC action.
"Under a request from President Mahmoud Abbas, the UNSC is scheduled to convene an emergency meeting later today to discuss the Israeli violations in Jerusalem," Erekat went on, noting that the UNSC is "the gateway for international legitimacy." "With its new status as non-member observer state at the UN, Palestine is preparing for joining 522 international conventions, protocols and institutions notably the Rome Statue and the ICC," he revealed.
Peace and security can be attained in the Middle East only through putting an end to the Israeli occupation and establishing the independent state of Palestine within the borders of pre-june, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, Erekat concluded. (end) rkf.gb