MPs from around the world gather in Ankara for Al-Quds

Organised by the League of Parliamentarians for Al-Quds, an NGO, the conference was attended by lawmakers from Turkey, Arab and African countries as well as legislators from Europe and South America.

In his opening speech, Yemeni MP, Hameid Al-Ahmar, who chairs the pro- Al-Quds League, said the two-day event is held under the theme "Jerusalem (Al-Quds) is Our Red Line."

"This conference aims at proposing ideas to institutionalising our efforts to serve the Palestinian cause," Al-Ahmar said.

"We have gathered here today to mobilise a relentless support to serve the struggle of the Palestinian people," he added.

Turkish Parliament Speaker, Mustafa Sentop, for his part, asserted that "Jerusalem (Al-Quds) has been and will always remain a red line."

"Jerusalem (Al-Quds) issue is of our national causes, it is at the heart of our honour, it is our red line," Sentop said, going on to vow that Turkey will continue to "stand by the oppressed Muslim peoples."

Al-Quds remains at the heart of the Israel-Palestine conflict, with Palestinians hoping East Al-Quds, now occupied by Israel, might eventually serve as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

Palestinian MP and Hamas leader, Khalil Al-Hayya, said the conference is held at a "decisive moment for the Palestinian cause, in general, and Jerusalem (Al-Quds), in particular."

"We are calling on parliament speakers and MPs who came from different continents to pressure their governments to mobilise the needed support for the Palestinian cause," he said.

Al-Hayya added that "it is the exact time to repulse the deals of normalisation with Israel and do everything possible to sanction the Israeli occupation."

Last year, four Arab countries – the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco – signed agreements with Zionist regime to normalise their relations, in a move condemned by Palestinians as a betrayal of their cause.

Thanking the Turkish parliament for hosting the conference, Al-Hayya said "we are grateful to the free people from across the world who keep the Palestinian cause alive."

Pakistani Senator, Mushahid Hussain, said that the Pakistani people "appreciate the steadfastness of the Palestinian people, particularly during the latest offensive launched by Israel over Gaza."

In May, an Israeli offensive left nearly 260 Palestinians dead and thousands wounded, as well as a vast trail of destruction in Gaza. Palestinian resistance groups responded with rocket fire into Israel, killing at least 13 Israelis.

Affirming that his country and parliament utterly reject any recognition of Israel, Hussain said that Islamabad has suggested a joint initiative with the state of Qatar in this regard.

He, however, did not provide any details about the joint initiative.

"We also reject the British move to classify Hamas as a terrorist group," he added.

Earlier this month, the British government banned Palestinian resistance group Hamas as a "terrorist" organization.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Brazilian MP, Perpetua Almeida, said she is taking part in the conference because the Palestinian issue is a main cause for all free people around the world.

"I am here to show solidarity with the Palestinian cause and to assert my defence for Jerusalem (Al-Quds), which will remain the eternal capital for Palestinians."

Malawian MP, Annie Aisha Adams, said the "ongoing atrocities being committed by Israel against the Palestinian women and children prompted her to attend the conference."

"This is not a religious issue, it is a human rights issue, and I, as a representative of my country, condemn the killings and abuses against the innocent people of Palestine," Adams told Anadolu Agency.

The conference coincides with the UN-instituted International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, which is marked on 29 November.