The League of Parliamentarians for Al-Quds organized an online parliamentary seminar titled "UNITING VOICES:AMPLIFYING THE PALESTINE ISSUE - ROLE OF THE ASIAN COUNTRIES IN RAISING GLOBAL CONCERN" on Thursday, August 31^st.

The seminar was attended by MP Dr. Ahmed Bahr, Acting Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Dr. Mohammad Makram Balawi, Director General of the The League of Parliamentarians for Al-Quds, MP Syed Ibrahim, Chairman of the Palestine Committee in the Malaysian Parliament and Head of the Regional League in East Asia, MP Dr. Sukamta, Member of the Indonesian Parliament, and MP. Saud Hussein, Member of the Maldivian Parliament.

During his opening speech at the seminar, Balawi emphasized that the League works across continents to convey the message of Palestine. He clarified that the League is an international organization, not just Palestinian, and its role is supportive of the Palestinian people in achieving their legitimate rights while respecting their right to express their positions and opinions.

He also highlighted the significant activities of the League in Europe, where it supports the Palestinian cause through parliamentary, legal, and labor efforts, in addition to its presence in other countries and continents.

On the other hand, Bahr called for the establishment of a unified parliamentary front to support the occupied Jerusalem and the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, capable of rising to the current dangerous challenges and working to expose and isolate the occupation in international forums and organizations. He stressed that the Legislative Council relies on the efforts of Arab and Islamic parliaments and the free world to confront the fascist policies, racist laws, and ongoing crimes committed by the occupation against the Palestinian people, their holy sites, land, and to deter it.

He expressed his hope that parliaments would exert pressure on their governments to fulfill their political and legal roles in international forums and work to compel the fascist occupation government to abide by international agreements, laws, and humanitarian principles. He called for holding it accountable for its ongoing crimes against the Palestinian people and for prosecuting the occupation leaders as war criminals before the International Criminal Court, warning against the plans of the occupation government and settler groups to Judaize Al-Aqsa Mosque and annex the West Bank.

Bahr emphasized the need to take action to lift the oppressive siege on the Gaza Strip, which has been ongoing for nearly seventeen years, describing it as a war crime and a genocide against humanity. He called on parliamentarians to visit the Gaza Strip and witness the extent of the occupation's crimes firsthand.

In his turn, MP Syed Ibrahim affirmed that the true independence of Arab and Islamic countries lies in providing the tools for the Palestinian people to achieve their freedom and independence from occupation. He called on Arab and Islamic countries to work towards classifying the occupation as an apartheid state, and he explained that Malaysia seeks to achieve this through international organizations.

Ibrahim emphasized that normalization harms the Palestinian cause and gives the green light for the occupation to continue its crimes against the Palestinian people, disregarding regional and international laws and resolutions. He reiterated the presence of a parliamentary, governmental, and popular consensus in Malaysia rejecting normalization.

He explained that LP4Q are working to establish a regional parliamentary association in Asia and an Asian Union for Palestine in the near future. He called on Arab and Islamic parliaments to enact laws criminalizing normalization with the occupation and to maintain their supportive stance towards the Palestinian cause.

As for MP Sukamta, he called for increased solidarity and support for the Palestinian cause and joint efforts to achieve that. He emphasized the need to activate diplomatic tools and relations between Arab and Islamic countries, as well as free nations worldwide, especially Asian countries, effectively cooperating to raise awareness about the Palestinian cause, confront the narratives of the occupation, and expose its crimes.

He stressed that Asian countries are united in their support for the Palestinian cause and rejection of normalization with the occupation. He called for launching a unified Asian diplomatic movement to support the Palestinian cause in various regional and international forums.

Meanwhile, MP Saud Hussein called for maintaining the stance that rejects recognition of "Israel" and strengthening initiatives supporting the Palestinian cause on all levels. He urged for pressuring to sever relations with the occupation and isolate it politically and economically, emphasizing that peace in the Middle East and the region begins by ending the occupation and ceasing all cooperation and dealings with it.

Hussein criticized the double standards of Western criteria and the failure of international organizations to condemn the violence of the occupation and work to stop it. He affirmed the need to escalate media and official discourse supporting the Palestinian people and rejecting the occupation, both in Asia and globally.

He concluded his remarks by emphasizing the necessity of a greater role for Islamic countries in the Palestinian cause and international efforts to support the Palestinian people, uphold their rights, and end the occupation.