KNESSET'S ARAB MEMBER LAUDS KUWAIT'S SUPPORT FOR PALESTINIANS

The Arab member and deputy speaker of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, Ahmad Tibi (frontpagemag)

Brussels, 16 Muharram 1436/9 November 2014 (MINA) – The Arab member and deputy speaker of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, Ahmad Tibi, has praised Kuwait for its assistance and support for the Palestinians but urged the Arab-and Islamic world to do more.

“Kuwait delivered assistance to the Palestinian Authority before two months and they (the Kuwaitis) supported Palestinian people historically and they continue the support,” he told the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) in an exclusive interview in Brussels.

“Kuwait did and is doing and will continue to do for Palestine. We thank Kuwait for that,” Tibi said in the special interview with KUNA as quoted by Mi’raj islamic News Agency (MINA).

Tibi said he came urgently to Brussels to address the European Parliament on two main issues, the first about Al Aqsa and the Israeli attempts to change its status quo. “I saw myself how the Israeli forces are dealing with the Muslims and preventing them from entering Al Aqsa mosque, and allowing Jewish extremists to enter its courtyard,” he said.

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The second issue he said “is the discrimination and oppression against the Palestinian Arab citizens in Israel whom I represent in the Israel parliament the Knesset.” “The discrimination is in all fields of life and I addressed the European Parliament on the motions and clauses in the Knesset which discriminate in housing, education, employment, religion, etc,” he said.

“I told the European Parliament that Israel is carrying three forms of rule, one is democracy for the Jews, racial discrimination towards the Arab-Palestinian minorities inside Israel, and the third is apartheid in the Palestinian occupied territories of 1967,” said Tibi.

“I called on the European Parliament to help restrain the Israeli leaders and politicians who are acting as pyromaniacs and trying to judaize East Jerusalem,” he said.

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Tibi said Israeli Housing Minister Uri Ariel is planning to live inside the Palestinian neighbourhood of Silwan in East Jerusalem.

“Al Aqsa mosque is the red line. The Arab and Muslim world should do much more for the sake of Jerusalem and Al Aqsa. Their reaction should be much more tangible,” he said.

“They should support the Palestinians in Jerusalem materially, financially and diplomatically to continue their resistance and put pressure on Israel via the UN, the US and EU,” he said. He said Arab Palestinians make up 20 percent, or 1.2 million, of the total population of Israel. There are 11 Palestinian members in the 12O-member Knesset and Tibi is the chairman of the faction Arab Movement for Change.

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“We are being attacked a lot by the Israeli right-wing members who are trying to revoke our immunity and kick us out from the Knesset. Sometimes we are attacked physically outside the Knesset by extremists and I was attacked twice,” he said.

“I am receiving death threats every week. It is not easy to be an Arab in Israel and almost impossible to be an Arab member inside the Israeli parliament,” he told. (T/P011/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)