The Secretary-General of the Union of Arab Chambers, Dr. Khaled Hanafi, participated in the meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Jerusalem Empowerment Fund, which was held in Riyadh, the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, under the chairmanship of the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Fund Prince Turki Al-Faisal, and with the participation of His Highness Sheikh Mubarak Al-Sabah, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Jerusalem Endowment Fund and member of the Administrative Committee of the Jerusalem Empowerment Fund Munib Rashid Al-Masri, and Chairman of the Jordan Chamber of Commerce Khalil Haj Tawfiq, in addition to a wide presence of businessmen and members of the Board of Trustees of the Fund.

The meeting discussed several issues on the agenda, reviewed the implementation of the Fund’s projects in Jerusalem, and began implementing some of them. It also presented the programs emanating from the “Jerusalem - Empowerment and Sustainability” program approved by the Council’s Administrative Committee.

During the meetings and meetings, Dr. Khaled Hanafi stressed, "Jerusalem is considered a symbol and a key axis in the Palestinian cause," pointing out that "Palestine has been subjected to oppression for many decades by the Israeli occupation, which is trying to Judaize Jerusalem and strip it of its authentic Arabism."

He said: "We categorically reject the systematic and continuous aggression that the Palestinians have been subjected to on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, as our people in the Gaza Strip suffer from siege, killing, starvation and displacement, in light of the suspicious global silence, which holds us a moral and moral responsibility towards our people in Palestine, in order to support them and work to provide the elements of their steadfastness in their land."

The Secretary-General explained, "The Board of Directors of the Union of Arab Chambers always includes on its agenda the issue of supporting the Jerusalem Fund and Endowment, which 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 city of Jerusalem steadfast in the face of Zionist aggressions and its reconstruction."

He pointed out that "the Union of Arab Chambers, since its inception in 1951, in addition to its essential 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."

"We in the Union of Arab Chambers, in partnership with the Jerusalem Empowerment Fund and the Islamic Development Bank, are considering establishing a social responsibility program towards Jerusalem through a charitable or endowment share, which will be circulated to the members of the chambers," Hanafi said.

In turn, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the "Empowerment of Jerusalem" Fund, His Highness Prince Turki, affirmed Al-Faisal, but Jerusalem deserves everyone's support to empower Its people and their stability on their land in the face of the attempts of the occupation to obliterate Its Arab and Islamic identity. Stressing the need to speed up the implementation of special projectsin the city, which the fund is working to implement.

The President of the Jordan Chamber of Commerce, Khalil Haj Tawfiq, confirmed that Jordan has a historical peculiarity towards the Holy City based on The Hashemite Custodianship of the Holy Places, indicating that the service of the city Jerusalem is an honor for all, referring to His Majesty's honorable positions In defense of Jerusalem and providing all means of support for steadfastness Its people on their land, and its preservation under the operations of Judaization and protection of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.

He valued the noble role played by the Fund to empower Jerusalem. and its endeavors to support the Palestinian people to alleviate their suffering, Through the establishment of projects, development programs and basic services in the Holy City.

It is worth noting that the Jerusalem Fund and Endowment is an independent, non-profit body, established with the aim of empowering and strengthening the steadfastness of the Palestinian people in Jerusalem, and working to achieve development in the various sectors in the Holy City, in a way that preserves the national identity and Palestinian steadfastness in Jerusalem.

Since its establishment, the Jerusalem Empowerment Fund has contributed to the implementation of many projects to achieve the economic empowerment of Jerusalemites, through the implementation of infrastructure projects, identity stabilization projects, housing support, youth empowerment, reconstruction and restoration of property, in addition to projects to sponsor university students, projects to support the endowment of the Arab child, and the construction of a home for the elderly affiliated to the Red Crescent in Jerusalem, in addition to other vital projects that help empower the people of Jerusalem and take root in their land.

The Jerusalem Empowerment Fund falls under the umbrella of the Islamic Development Bank. The Board of Trustees has 15 members from Jordan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Tunisia and Egypt. The fund was launched in December 2021 in partnership between the Jerusalem Fund and Endowment and the Islamic Development Bank to contribute to supporting the steadfastness of Jerusalemites and saving the heritage and capabilities of their city.

Source (Union of Arab Chambers)