Egypt, Jordan, Algeria, Palestine, Arab League reiterate commitment to supporting Al Quds

CAIRO - 12 February 2023: Al Quds support conference kicked off on Sunday at the Cairo-based Arab League HQ with the participation of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, Jordanian King Abdullah II, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Abul Gheit.

High-level representatives for presidents and kings of AL member states also attend the event alongside foreign ministers and representatives for international, regional and Arab organizations.

Spokesman for AL Secretary General Gamal Roshdi said the conference is meant to bring to limelight the Quds issue before world public opinion in view of Israel's crimes and violations.

Al Quds Affiars Minister Fadi al-Hidmi said the conference is extraordinary, calling for a clear political Arab stand.

The conference focuses on three main axes; the political conditions in Quds, development and investment priorities in Quds and the Israeli illegal and racist measures against Quds people.

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has reaffirmed Egypt's firm stance towards the rejection of Israel's measures to change the legal status of Al Quds and its sanctities.

President Sisi called on Arabs to support the Palestinian cause.

President Sisi welcomed the participants of the conference, saying that Al Quds, which hosts Al Aqsa mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, is the crux of the Palestinian cause.

The president said that Egypt rejects all Israeli measures to change the historical and legal status of Al Quds and supports the Hashemite custodianship of the Holy places of the City.

President Sisi said that Egypt, more than four decades ago, stretched its hands to Israel to achieve just and durable peace that restores the rights of the Palestinian people and establishes a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders.

He said today’s gathering coincides with extraordinary circumstances threatening regional security and the concept of coexistence.

President Sisi said Israel’s unilateral measures including settlement activities, demolition of houses, confiscation of lands, expulsion of the Palestinians from their homes and attempts to Judaize Al Quds, run counter to the international legitimacy resolutions and fuel congestion.

The president appealed to the international community to work on salvaging the two-state solution plan and pave the way for the resumption of peace talks, saying that Egypt will continue its efforts to reconstruct Gaza Strip 

Sending a message to the Palestinian people, the president said that their cause will remain on the top of the priorities of Egypt and the Arabs.

Sending another message to Israel, its government and people the president said “time is ripe for peace and coexistence among the peoples of the region."

President Abdelmadjid Tebboune of Algeria warned that the racist policies adopted by Israeli occupation authorities in Al Quds and its attempts to obliterate its Arab, Islamic and Christian identity will only achieve imaginary gains that violate legitimacy and demography.

Addressing a conference, the Algerian President reiterated condemnation of repeated Zionist attempts to impose a fait accompli through falsifying facts in the holy city.

He reiterated Algeria's full commitment to support the right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state within June 1967 borders with Al Quds as its capital.

He reiterated Algeria's appreciation for the positive steps that have been achieved recently at the diplomatic level, especially the adoption of a resolution by the UN General Assembly to activate the role of the International Court of Justice in consolidating the rights of the Palestinian people.

He said Algeria will continue endeavors aiming at strengthening Palestinian national unity to materialize the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people in obtaining their freedom and restoring their sovereignty.

Also, Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Abul Gheit stressed that Arabs should enhance the steadfastness of Palestinians to preserve the Arab identity of Al Quds in face of all attempts to Judaize it.

Abul Gheit said the issue of Al Quds is at the heart of all Arabs, warning that the holy city does not only suffer from occupation but also from attempts to obliterate its identity.

Al Quds is under occupation and no one can change this fact, Abul Gheit said, warning that all attempts to Judaize the city will lead to more violence.

He underlined the importance of preserving the historical status of Al Quds so that just and comprehensive peace can be achieved, saying today's conference aims at sending a message to the entire world on the importance of protecting the holy city from violations committed by occupation forces.

He warned of attempts to divide Al Quds and erase its Islamic identity, saying such attempts would lead to more hatred and conflicts.

He made clear that Israel is adopting a systematic approach to undermine the two-state solution, urging all peace loving powers to join efforts to settle the Palestinian issue.

King Abdullah II of Jordan has called on the international community to work on achieving the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to establish a sovereign and viable state on the 1967 borders with Al Quds (East Jerusalem) as its capital.

Addressing Al Quds support conference, King Abdullah said the current state requires intensifying efforts to support the Palestinian people.

He said his country continued efforts to protect the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Al Quds.

The king stressed the importance of maintaining peace on the basis of the two state solution and ending Israel's storming operation of Aqsa mosque, pointing out that the Palestinian cause will remain on Jordan's top priorities.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said supporting Al Quds and its people is a religious duty and vital at the humanitarian and national levels. Abbas said al Quds is in need for the support of Arab and Islamic countries.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said "we will go to the United Nations for a resolution protecting the two-state solution through granting Palestine full membership."

He called on Arab funds and associations to perform their duty in defending al Quds and protecting its identity.

Abbas voiced deep appreciation for President Abdel Fattah El Sisi's attendance of the conference, thanking Sisi and the Egyptian people for Egypt's continued support for the Palestinian cause and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.

He also thanked King Abdullah II of Jordan for his support for the Palestinian cause and his efforts to protect Islamic and Christian sanctities in al Quds.

He called for putting into effect the decisions of the Arab summit that was held in Algeria last November.

Meanwhile, he lauded an initiative launched by the Qudsona Foundation and Al Quds empowerment fund and Al Quds endowment fund for mobilizing dlrs 70 million financing amid plans to up this number to dlrs 200 million within the coming five years.