Tehran, SANA –The meeting of the Parliamentary Union of Islamic Countries (PUIC) called for supporting the resistance on all levels in the face of the Israeli aggression on Gaza Strip, and for lifting the siege imposed on Gaza and for the international community to end the aggression and prosecute the Israeli war criminals.
In the closing statement of the PUIC meeting which was held on Tuesday in Tehran with Syria’s participation, the Union affirmed rejection of equating the victor and the aggressor, demanding that the leaders of the Israeli occupation be held accountable for their crimes against humanity in Gaza, lamenting the international community’s silence over these crimes.
The statement called for putting differences aside to support the Palestinian cause, saying that the Israeli aggression on Gaza is an example of genocide and deliberate destruction of infrastructure, as it claimed hundreds of lives of defenseless Palestinians including women and children, in addition to destroying houses, places of worship, schools, and hospitals, and causing severe food shortages.
The PUIC said the Israeli aggression and the siege imposed on Gaza constitute blatant violations of international law and UN resolutions, voicing full support to all forms of Palestinian resistance against Israeli occupation, and calling for opening all crossing points including Rafah crossing point and Gaza airport to break the siege.
The statement called on Egypt to facilitate the delivery of aid to Gaza via Rafah crossing point, welcoming Palestinian reconciliations and asserting that Palestinian unity is the only guarantee for restoring their just rights.
Earlier, Speaker of the Iranian Shura Council Ali Larijani said that the crimes committed by the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people in its aggression on Gaza Strip constitute war crimes and blatant violations of international law.
In a speech at the opening of the PUIC meeting, Larijani said that Israel is using prohibited weapons in its aggression on Gaza, and that the US and some western countries are overlooking Israel’s crimes and are even defending them.
He called on the PUIC to deliver aid to the Palestinian people, calling on the Egyptian government to open Rafah crossing point to deliver food and medicine to the people of Gaza, stressing the need to confront the groups that hide behind the guise of Islam and murder Muslims.
In turn, Chairman of the Palestinian National Council Salim Zanoun said that what is happening in Gaza is nothing short of a barbaric massacre, noting that Israel was unhappy with reconciliation among Palestinian which drove the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insane, prompting the aggression on Gaza Strip.
Zanoun said that the Israeli occupation is trying to destroy Gaza and massacre its people, with over 612 Palestinians having been killed so far, while over 3,700 were injured and over 3,000 houses were destroyed, not to mention the displacement of thousands of families, stressing that children are being murdered while playing in the streets and women are buried alive under their homes, with more horrifying sights that one can hardly bear to watch.
He called on the Islamic world to take quick and feasible decisions, noting that Israeli media is deluding the world and claiming that the rockets coming from Gaza will destroy Israel while its planes and tanks and ships massacre civilian women and children.
Zanoun said that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is making efforts to end the Israeli aggression, all while Israel grows more bold in committing massacre, the most horrid of which was in al-Shujaiya neighborhood were over 95 people were killed and over 1,000 were injured.
He called on the attendants to work towards forcing Israel to comply with the Geneva Convention and prevent any future aggressions and acts of genocide on its part.
H. Sabbagh