Turkish parliament head hails Palestinian cause

By Guc Gonel, Kubra Kara and Cigdem Munibe Alyanak

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Turkish parliament speaker on Sunday said the Palestinian cause is dear not only to Palestinians, Arabs or the Islamic world but also to anyone with a conscience, regardless of race, religion or political views.

Mustafa Sentop was speaking during the opening ceremony of a new building for the League of Parliamentarians for Al-Quds in Istanbul, as he marked the International Day of Solidarity with Palestinian People.

Parliamentarians for Al-Quds is an internationally independent group, which was established in 2015. It aims to activate the role of parliamentarians in supporting Palestinian human rights according to international laws.

The body works together with lawmakers from various world parliaments for consultation, coordination and cooperation on the issues of Palestine.

Palestinian territories, including the West Bank and East Jerusalem, have been under illegal Israeli occupation since 1967.

“Pursuing the Palestinian cause, in essence, means bringing post-WWII world order into question. We are in a period in which Muslims, and all other oppressed nations will grow stronger and fight on to gain their rights,” Sentop said.

He said the Al-Quds parliament, which consists of over 1,500 active or former parliamentarians from 73 countries, is a right platform to defend and promote the Palestinian struggle.

*Writing by Ahmet Gencturk