Istanbul: The Turkish Parliament announced plans to host a significant meeting in Istanbul this Friday, bringing together representatives from 13 countries to support the Palestinian cause.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the meeting aims to form a parliamentary group to confront the Israeli occupation and will be hosted by Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus.

The meeting is anticipated to feature addresses by prominent figures, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Kurtulmus will deliver the opening speech, followed by speakers such as Rawhi Fattouh, Speaker of the Palestinian National Council, Hassan bin Abdullah Al-Ghanim, Speaker of the Qatari Shura Council, and Saqr Ghobash, Speaker of the Federal National Council in the UAE.

Other notable participants include Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Speaker of the Pakistani National Assembly; Tan Sri Dato’ Johari bin Abdul, Speaker of the Malaysian House of Representatives; and Puan Maharani, Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives. The meeting will also hear from El Hadj Malik Ndiaye, Speaker of the Senegalese National Assembly; Ahmed Safadi, Speaker of the Jordanian House of Representatives; and Ahmed Al-Musallam, Speaker of the Bahraini House of Representatives.

Additional contributions will come from Deputy Speakers of the Algerian Parliament, Hammad Ayoub; the Azerbaijani Parliament, Ali Ahmadov; and the Egyptian Parliament, Ahmed Saadeddin. Francina Armengol Socias, President of the Spanish Chamber of Deputies, will participate via video message.

The group is gathering to leverage parliamentary diplomacy to address Israel’s actions and the humanitarian issues in Palestinian territories, particularly Gaza. The initiative, spearheaded by Kurtulmus, seeks to encourage the international community to adopt a unified stance against Israeli aggression and establish a joint parliamentary solidarity line with Palestine.