Tarawneh calls on Arab states to take action on Palestine

AMMAN — The Palestinian cause is facing its most trying times, especially as the occupation is protected by a biased US, which has announced an unjust settlement to the conflict, Lower House Speaker Atef Tarawneh said on Saturday. 

Speaking during the 30th emergency session of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (APU), the speaker said that in light of this situation, those concerned must move from "mere words to action".

During the session, which convened representatives of 20 Arab countries in Amman with the aim of supporting Palestinians in their just cause, Tarawneh, who is also APU president, called for forming an “Arab rejection front” that eliminates division and embraces unity. 

Tarawneh, in the Amman-held session, also referred to His Majesty King Abdullah's solid stance with the three noes: "No alternative homeland, no settlement and no meddling with the Hashemite Custodianship of Jerusalem", which represent a proactive rejection to the so-called “deal of the century”, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

There is no future for any solution that is rejected by Palestinians; and no solution is viable without an independent Palestinian state on its national soil on the pre-1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital, the speaker stressed.

Tarawneh also reiterated the importance of adhering to relevant international resolutions that call for refugees’ rights to return and compensation, halting settlements and maintaining the Hashemite custodianship over Jerusalem’s Islamic and Christian holy sites.

For his part, Chairman of the Palestinian National Council Salim Zanoun said that solutions mentioned under the US deal are “destructive and rejected”, due to the fact that they neglect the right of return, grant Jerusalem in its entirety as a capital for Israel and support the establishment of a Jewish state.

Zanoun also noted that the plan allows the Israelis to immediately embark on implementing their agenda, while the Palestinians are forced to wait for three years before starting to implement the relevant parts of the deal, Petra added.

The final statements of the session refused any unjust settlement that Palestinians do not accept or that does not guarantee their historical right to a state with East Jerusalem as its capital on the pre-1967 lines.

Attendees of the session considered the “deal of the century” a unilateral agreement that does not work towards a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue, stressing that the envisioned peace can only be achieved through direct, serious and equal negotiations according to the two-state solution. 

They also highlighted that the Hashemite custodianship over Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem is an internationally recognised right, and tampering with Al Aqsa Mosque and efforts to divide it temporally and spatially are an attack on this custodianship. 

The APU also expressed appreciation to the Kingdom for hosting the summit and praised His Majesty's stances, which constitute a base line for the Arab collective position in rejection of any unjust solution to the Palestinian cause, Petra added.

Attendees also agreed to send a letter to King Abdullah, thanking him for his efforts in defence of the Palestinian cause.

Approving a proposal by Iraqi Speaker of the Council of Representatives Mohamed Halbousi, the union agreed on forming a trilateral committee of the speakers of the Kuwaiti, Iraqi and Algerian parliaments to visit Palestine and meet with President Mahmoud Abbas and other leaders to support Palestinian resilience and follow up on implementing APU decisions. 

Also on Saturday, Jordan participated in the 3rd annual Conference of the League of Parliamentarians for Al Quds in Kuala Lumpur, where head of the Kingdom's delegation MP Yahya Saud said that US President Donald Trump's "alleged plan for peace" neglects all international legitimacy resolutions, according to Petra.

Saud added that the US bias towards the Israeli occupation “damages Washington’s values”, which have always called for democracy and defended human rights.