The Secretary General of the Union of Arab Chambers, Dr. Khaled Hanafi, participated in the meetings of the Board of Trustees of the Jerusalem Empowerment Fund, which were held in Kuwait, the capital of the State of Kuwait, on 1/29/2024, headed by His Royal Highness Prince Turki bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and with the participation of the Minister of Justice, and the Endowments in the State of Kuwait, Faisal Saeed Nafel Al-Gharib.
On the sidelines of the meetings, the Emir of the State of Kuwait, His Highness Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, and the Prime Minister Sheikh Dr. Muhammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, Chairman of the Jerusalem Empowerment Fund, received His Royal Highness Prince Turki bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who was at the head of a delegation from the Fund Board (Empowering Jerusalem), which was established pursuant to a decision of the Board of Directors of the Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development and in accordance with the partnership with the Jerusalem Fund and Endowment as a trust and endowment fund with the Islamic Development Bank, that seeks to support the city of Jerusalem and empower its people economically and socially by financing empowerment, development and anti-poverty projects. The Fund also contributes to alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people and supports their basic needs in the sectors of education, development, economics and others, and is part of the humanitarian initiatives aimed at alleviating the suffering of the Palestinians.
Those responsible for the “Jerusalem Empowerment Fund” seek to raise one billion dollars from the Arab and Islamic nations and supporters of the just Palestinian cause, in order to achieve the projects and services that Jerusalem needs in order to preserve it and protect the interests of its people.
The meetings of the Jerusalem Empowerment Fund, which were also attended by the President of the Jordan Chamber of Commerce, Khalil Haj Tawfiq, the President of the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Muhammad Jassim Al-Saqr, the President of the Tunisian Federation of Trade, Industry, and Traditional Crafts, Samir Majoul, the President of the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Abdullah Saleh Kamel, and the President of the Group of The Islamic Development Bank, Dr. Muhammad Suleiman Al-Jasser, in addition to important Kuwaiti and Arab figures, aimed to send a message of support and solidarity to the brotherly Palestinian people due to the genocide they are being subjected to, and to push towards finding ways and means to empower them in their land. It was emphasized to reject what is happening in the Palestinian territories at the hands of the Israeli occupation, including siege, starvation, and unjust settlements, demanding the implementation of international resolutions that stipulate the right of the Palestinian people to live in dignity on their land.
The Secretary-General of the Union of Arab Chambers, Dr. Khaled Hanafi, stressed during the meetings that “Jerusalem has great sanctity in the conscience and hearts of Arabs, Muslims, and Christians, as it is considered a symbol and a basic axis in the Palestinian cause.” Pointing out that "the symbolism of Jerusalem arises from two aspects. The first is the special holiness of this city, both for Muslims as it is the first of the two qiblahs, as well as for Christians, and the second is the oppression it has been subjected to for many decades on the part of 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 assault that the Palestinians have been subjected to on the Gaza Strip for more than four months, as our people in the Strip are subjected to siege, killing, starvation, and displacement. In light of the suspicious global silence, which holds us morally and ethically responsible towards our people in Palestine, in order to support them and work to provide the foundations for their steadfastness in their land.”
The Secretary-General explained that “the Board of Directors of the Union of Arab Chambers at its (133rd) session, which was held in Kuwait, the capital of the State of Kuwait, on 11-8-2022, included on its agenda the topic of supporting the Jerusalem Fund and Endowment, which demonstrates 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 attacks, and its reconstruction.”
Source (Union of Arab Chambers)
