Parliament speaker invites counterparts to pro-Palestine summit in Istanbul
ANKARA
Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş on Tuesday spoke by phone separately with his counterparts from Palestine, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt, inviting them to the April 18 meeting of the pro-Palestine Parliamentary Speakers Group.
Kurtulmuş extended formal invitations to the Palestinian National Council President Rawhi Fattouh, UAE Federal National Council Speaker Saqr Ghobash, and Egyptian House of Representatives Speaker Hanafy Ali El Gebali to attend the meeting scheduled for April 18 in Istanbul, according to a statement from the Parliament.
The official stressed the need for national parliaments to coordinate efforts to halt bloodshed in Palestine, rebuild Gaza, and support a lasting peace based on a two-state solution.
He also emphasized the importance of joint international action to restore a ceasefire and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to Palestinians.
Highlighting the role of Palestine’s allies, the speaker called on them to actively support the cause on all platforms and use available resources to amplify the Palestinian voice.
He also extended his greetings for the upcoming Eid al-Fitr and expressed hope that the Night of Qadr and the holiday would bring peace to Palestine and the broader Muslim world.
The Israeli army launched a surprise aerial campaign on the Gaza Strip on March 18, killing nearly 800 people, injuring over 1,600 others, and shattering the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January.
More than 50,100 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 113,700 injured in a brutal Israeli military onslaught on Gaza since October 2023.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
