MEETING ON THE SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST
On November 24, 2023, a joint working meeting of the Bureau of the Presidium of the International Public Chamber and the Council of Elders of the Peoples of the North Caucasus was held via videoconference, dedicated to the situation in the Middle East.
The event opened with a moment of silence as a sign of condolence to the Palestinian people and in memory of the thousands of civilians killed in the Middle East.president of the International Civic Chamber for the 2020-2025 convocation, Alexander Olshevskiy informed colleagues of the proposals received for dialogue events aimed at supporting the establishment of a just peace. He noted that, in accordance with the statement of November 19, 2023, the International Civic Chamber has cancelled all celebrations and festive events in November-December 2023 as a sign of mourning, and has postponed the closing ceremony of the 1st Imam Shamil International Forum to 2024. The celebrations have been replaced by communal prayers for the souls of the victims, the restoration of health and well-being to the victims, and practical work in the area of dialogue on establishing a just peace and good-neighborly relations between the peoples of the Middle East. He drew his colleagues' attention to the fact that members of the International Public Chamber have consistently maintained year after year that the escalating waves of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict are merely a consequence of the flagrant disregard for UN resolutions, international law, and humanitarian principles. After all, the Palestinian people have lived under occupation for decades, deprived of land and homes, and subjected to constant oppression. The time has come to resolve the situation through the full-fledged formation of a Palestinian state within the borders established by UN resolutions, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Only then can security in the region and good-neighborly relations between the peoples of the sovereign states of Israel and Palestine be achieved.
In his address to the meeting participants, Abu-Bekir Hazrat Shabanovich , emphasized the importance of joint efforts to prevent divisions in society and maintain interethnic and interreligious harmony. He emphasized that the tragic events in the Middle East, among other things, must unite and bring together all sensible forces, people of good will who wish goodness and peace for their countries, to prevent the spread of madness and cruelty. The Mufti also reported that on November 17, 2023, he held a meeting of parishioners of the Minsk Cathedral Mosque "On the tragic events taking place in the Middle East," following which Belarusian Muslims adopted a statement expressing their views, which stated, in particular:
«It is with pain and sorrow that we witness the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which is tragically claiming the lives of thousands of civilians. Having reviewed and discussed the facts and eyewitness accounts, we unanimously declare:
- We offer common prayers for the souls of all those who perished in these tragic events, for the restoration of health and well-being of the victims, and we prayerfully ask the Almighty for a speedy end to the pain and suffering of our brothers.
- The barbaric actions of international Zionist forces, incited by the United States, contradict the precepts of all world religions and universal human values. The blasphemous murder of civilians in the Holy Land and the attempted genocide of an entire people are monstrous and cannot be justified by any pretext.
- The decades-long oppression of the long-suffering Palestinian people, deprived of their homes, statehood, and basic human rights as a result of the occupation, violates all international norms and UN resolutions. Like the entire civilized world, we demand a swift end to the occupation and the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian State within established borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
- We call on the global Muslim community to exercise balance and common sense, and not to succumb to provocations and information manipulation. And not to confuse the war crimes committed by the crazed Zionists in power in the State of Israel with the respectable Jewish people, every sane member of whom is horrified by these crimes and wholeheartedly supports peace and good neighborliness.
- We indignantly condemn the vile role of the United States of America, which provokes and incites armed conflicts between peoples around the world, calls for genocide and war crimes, and profits from misfortune and death. This vile, bloody, and inciting role has become evident as never before in these days, definitively excluding the United States from the ranks of civilized nations, covering it with indelible shame, for which it will have to repent for centuries before other countries and the Almighty.".
The Council of Elders of the Peoples of the North Caucasus's position on the situation was expressed by its Copresident, President of the Council under the Head of the Republic of Dagestan for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights, Zikrul Ilyasov. He emphasized the importance of outreach to young people to prevent destructive forces from cynically manipulating them amidst the shared emotions surrounding the tragic events, and from redirecting their sincere desire to help their Palestinian brothers into destructive acts against those who had nothing to do with these events.
Representatives of the Republic of South Ossetia, which in its recent history has personally experienced the tragedy of barbaric attacks on civilians, also incited by overseas provocateurs, expressed solidarity with the civilian population of Palestine. expressed their readiness to actively participate in dialogue on the Middle East issue and to utilize their legal developments in the peace process President of the Parliament of South Ossetia, Kosta Dzugaev, Director of the National Museum of the Republic of South Ossetia Merab Zasseev.
Honored Wrestling Coach of Russia Saveliy Byazrov. He emphasized that the most important thing in light of current events is outreach to young people and mentoring.
The meeting participants welcomed their new colleagues to the International Public Chamber 2020-2025, newly elected members representing countries in the Middle East—Syria, Iran, and Iraq. They expressed confidence that the unique expertise and contributions of the new members, who have significant experience in government, public affairs, and diplomatic activities, will significantly strengthen the Chamber's dialogue initiatives, enhancing their substantive value and fostering mutual understanding.
On behalf of the Middle East representatives, Dr. Bassam Abu Abdullah , Director of the Central School for Party Training of the Ba'ath Party (Syria), delivered a constructive speech. Dr. Naowaf Ibrahim , an expert on Russian-Arab relations and renowned writer and journalist, also summarized a number of important proposals for developing information work on the Middle East. Members of the Chamber also congratulated Dr. Amir Al-Musawi , Director of the Asfar Foundation for Strategic Studies (Tehran-Baghdad-Beirut), writer and political scientist, and Mr. Abdullah Khaled Hamid Al-Salih, Director of International Relations and Media of the Akkadian Organization for Cultural Exchange between Iraq and Russia, on their inclusion in the Chamber .
Magomedamin Akayev, President spoke about the work being done with young people, practical humanitarian activities, and the prevention of extremism. president the Expert Council for Work with Muslim Youth at the International Public Chamber and founder of the federal public movement "Active Citizen,"
Elena Vankevich , coordinator of the International Club of Wives of Government Officials, Clergy, and Diplomats and member of the International Public Chamber, spoke about the development of the dialogue-focused project. She also made several proposals for humanitarian initiatives in solidarity with the peaceful people of the Middle East.
Following the meeting, several upcoming new events and projects were approved, and the next practical steps were outlined.
