RAMALLAH: The Kuwait Awqaf Public Foundation (KAPF), in collaboration with the Kuwait Relief Society, distributed 2,400 food baskets to needy people and medical devices to patients in the West Bank city of Nablus. Charge d’Affairs of the Kuwait Embassy in Jordan Mubarak Al-Hajri told KUNA on Saturday that the distribution of the aid aims to support the resilience of the Palestinian people. He pointed out that more Kuwait aid campaigns would follow. Kuwaiti charitable activities cover all the West Bank governorates including the occupied Jerusalem as well as Gaza Strip, he said. “Kuwaiti people and leadership view the Palestinian people as one with our people and we believe they are worthy of our assistance,” he said.

Head of the Solidarity Charitable Association, Alaa Maqbool, said: “More than 2,400 food parcels were distributed to the families of orphans and the needy registered with the association.” Maqbool added that this project worth $115,000 came under difficult economic conditions that Palestine, and Nablus in particular, suffer from due to the repeated occupation siege. The distributed medical devices included wheelchairs, portable oxygen concentrator machines, ventilators, hospital beds and prosthetics. “The aid warmed the hearts of the beneficiaries and brought happiness to the souls of every Palestinian. These donations will have a good impact in alleviating the suffering of our people,” said Maqbool.

Maqbool pointed out that the association, which was founded in 1956, had also received grants provided by the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development in the State of Kuwait. “The association provides monthly financial guarantees to the orphans of the governorate registered with it, in addition to helping humanitarian cases suffering from difficult economic and health conditions,” he said. Maqbool expressed his hope that Kuwaiti support for the association, which cares for about 2,000 families with 5,000 orphans, will continue, praising the official and popular Kuwaiti support at various levels for Palestine and its just cause, stressing that “the positions of the State of Kuwait are the pride of every Arab.”

A monument remembering Kuwaiti martyrs in Rummanah Village in Jenin Province.

Sign of deep relations The Kuwaiti diplomat and several other embassy officials began their visit to Palestine last week, where they met President Mahmoud Abbas and other senior officials. Abbas briefed the Kuwaiti officials on the latest situation in the Palestinian territories and the Zionist occupation force's practices. "Palestine has been present and well-seated in the minds and hearts of the Kuwaiti people, as well as in our curricula, newspapers and discussions," he told KUNA last week. Hajri said the visit came amidst tough circumstances experienced by the Palestinian people, especially in Jenin Province, where people have been under recurrent attacks by Israeli occupation forces.

He added that the tour mainly aimed at delivering a message of Kuwait's unwavering and persistent support to the defenseless Palestinian people. Speaking highly of the visit as a sign of deep relations between Kuwait and Palestine, the diplomat quoted the Palestinian leader as underscoring Kuwait's central and significant backing to the Palestinian cause. The Kuwaiti diplomats also met with Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Hussein Al-Sheikh and Prime Minister's Advisor for Arab and Islamic Funds Nasser Qattami, who appreciated Kuwait's relentless solidarity with the Palestinian people and their just issue.

Commemorating Kuwaiti sacrifices A monument remembering Kuwaiti martyrs, who were killed while defending Palestine against Zionist occupation forces, had been erected in Rummanah Village in Jenin Province. A medical center, named after Kuwaiti martyr Sheikh Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, is also to be launched soon in Rummanah Village in Jenin Province. Rummanah Council Chief Hasan Subeihat told KUNA that the center was named after Sheikh Fahad Al-Sabah in remembrance of his struggle and participation in battles against Israeli occupation forces in the north of Palestine. He said the center's area is 1,500 square meters, and it is an initiative of the residents of the village. He lauded sacrifices of martyr Sheikh Fahad Al-Sabah for the sake of Palestine.

Meanwhile, head of Wafaa Capacity Building and Microfinance Mohasen Atawneh told KUNA that the Kuwaiti delegation's visit was briefed closely to the Kuwaiti-supported projects carried out in Palestine, within the framework of improving the situation of the needy. Kuwait stands side by side with brothers everywhere and in Palestine in particular, he said, adding that President Abbas and officials he met stressed the Kuwaiti pivotal role in backing Palestine's cause. Furthermore, Hajri stressed that the visit came in difficult circumstances Palestinian people are facing, especially in Jenin, which is subject to repeated attacks by the Israeli occupation.

He noted that he carried a message to the Palestinian people that "you are not alone and the State of Kuwait stands by you". The delegation also met with Palestinian Authority General Intelligence Services chief Majed Faraj who described the visit as important. He said in a statement that the visit came to boost the historical ties between the two countries and discuss means of promoting cooperation and enhancing relations between the two sides. Kuwaitis have great positions in the hearts of Palestinians, he said, referring to continued coordination and consultation between the two countries. – KUNA