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GCC Secretary General Welcomes Statement Issued at Madrid Meeting on Two-State Solution

The Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jassim Mohammed Al-Budaiwi
The Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jassim Mohammed Al-Budaiwi
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GCC Secretary General Welcomes Statement Issued at Madrid Meeting on Two-State Solution

The Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jassim Mohammed Al-Budaiwi
The Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jassim Mohammed Al-Budaiwi

The Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jassim Mohammed Al-Budaiwi, has welcomed at statement issued by several countries that met in Madrid on implementing the two-state solution.

Held in Madrid on Friday, the event included participants from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Türkiye, Spain, Ireland, Norway, Slovenia, the League of Arab States, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

Al-Budaiwi affirmed the firm position of the GCC countries in supporting the sovereignty of the Palestinian people over all Palestinian territories occupied since June 1967, the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and ensuring the return of refugees in accordance with the Arab Peace Initiative and international legitimacy resolutions.

The statement issued following the Madrid meeting said that “the international community must take active steps to implement the two-state solution, including universal recognition of the State of Palestine, and its admission as a full member of the United Nations.”

It also called for the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, including from the Philadelphi corridor.

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Gulf

Kuwait Jails 13 Citizens, Fines them $87 Mn for Hezbollah Funding

A general view of the Kuwait Palace of Justice in Kuwait City, June 16, 2013. (Reuters)
A general view of the Kuwait Palace of Justice in Kuwait City, June 16, 2013. (Reuters)
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Kuwait Jails 13 Citizens, Fines them $87 Mn for Hezbollah Funding

A general view of the Kuwait Palace of Justice in Kuwait City, June 16, 2013. (Reuters)
A general view of the Kuwait Palace of Justice in Kuwait City, June 16, 2013. (Reuters)

Kuwait’s Court of Cassation on Monday sentenced 13 citizens to three years in prison for raising funds through a charity to support Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

The court also fined them 27 million Kuwaiti dinars ($87 million), overturning a previous acquittal by a lower court.

The court that issued the sentencing was presided over by Judge Abdullah Jassim Al-Abdullah.

Initially, the Criminal Court had acquitted the defendants, citing the absence of legislation explicitly criminalizing unlicensed fundraising for public purposes since the establishment of Kuwait's Social Affairs Department on December 14, 1954.

The court said this legal gap limited its authority under Article 132 of the Code of Criminal Procedures and Trials. However, the decision was reversed by the higher court.

The defendants had been interrogated in November 2021 over alleged financial support to organizations linked to Hezbollah.

At the time, the Public Prosecution ordered their detention, and security authorities conducted extensive investigations into financial transfers suspected of funding such groups in Lebanon.

The case dates back to November 2021. The charges included significant financial transfers made over several years to foreign entities, including in Lebanon, prompting authorities to scrutinize transaction records.

The defendants denied the charges, claiming they had worked with a charity committee for 30 years, primarily sponsoring orphans in Lebanon and other countries.

In March 2024, the Court of Cassation classified Hezbollah as a banned terrorist group, describing it as an armed organization working to undermine Kuwait’s system and spread Iran’s revolutionary ideology.

The ruling officially confirmed Hezbollah’s designation as a terrorist entity under Kuwaiti law.