The Secretary-General of the Union of Arab Chambers, Dr. Khaled Hanafi, was chosen as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Jerusalem Empowerment Fund, which is chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Turki bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, during the first meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Jerusalem Empowerment Fund, which was held at the headquarters of the Islamic Bank for Development in Jeddah - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on 8-6-2023. Where the Board of Trustees of the Jerusalem Empowerment Fund includes the heads of four Arab chambers: Kuwait, Jordan, Tunisia, and Egypt, in addition to elite personalities representing development organizations, chambers of commerce, and businessmen, which establishes a partnership between the sector, civil society organizations, and governments resources.
The Secretary-General of the Federation expressed his great appreciation for being chosen as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Jerusalem Support Fund, which represents for him a source of pride. In view of the symbolism of this position and position, especially since Jerusalem has great sanctity in the hearts and minds of Arabs, Muslims, and Christians, as it is considered a symbol and a fundamental axis in the Palestinian cause. Pointing out that "the symbolism of Jerusalem stems from two aspects. The first is the special sanctity of this city for all Muslims, as it is the first of the two kisses, as well as for Christians. The second is the injustice it has been subjected to for decades by the Israeli occupation, which is trying to Judaize Jerusalem and strip it of its authentic Arabism." He pointed out that "the Union of Arab Chambers, since its inception in 1951, in addition to its primary role in promoting Arab economic integration, has focused most of its attention on supporting the Palestinian cause, whether in Arab forums or in international forums."
The Secretary-General stated, “The Board of Directors of the Union of Arab Chambers, in its (133rd) session, which was held in Kuwait, the capital of the State of Kuwait on 11-8-2022, included the issue of supporting the Al-Quds Fund and Endowment on its agenda. This shows the vision of the Union and the private sector in the Arab countries in clarifying the role of the Fund and its efforts to support the steadfast city of Jerusalem in the face of Zionist aggressions and its reconstruction.”
The efforts of the Union of Arab Chambers did not stop at this point, but the Union had a fundamental role in discouraging the Republic of Brazil from moving its embassy to Jerusalem. Furthermore, Khaled Hanafi, in his capacity as Secretary-General of the Union, met former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro at the presidential residence in Brasilia, and informed him on behalf of the Union of Arab Chambers, which is the true representative of the Arab private sector, that this step should not be taken because of its negative impact on economic relations between Arab countries and Brazil. The former Brazilian president responded to this desire, and the Brazilian embassy has not yet been moved to Jerusalem.
Hanafi noted, "We, in the Union of Arab Chambers, in partnership with the Jerusalem Empowerment Fund and the Islamic Development Bank, are studying the establishment of a social responsibility program towards Jerusalem through a charitable or endowment share, as it will be circulated to members of the chambers."
Source (Union of Arab Chambers)
