Kuwait: Decision to Dissolve National Assembly Widely Welcomed

A view shows the first parliament session held after elections, in Kuwait City, Kuwait December 15, 2020. REUTERS/Stephanie McGehee
A view shows the first parliament session held after elections, in Kuwait City, Kuwait December 15, 2020. REUTERS/Stephanie McGehee
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Kuwait: Decision to Dissolve National Assembly Widely Welcomed

A view shows the first parliament session held after elections, in Kuwait City, Kuwait December 15, 2020. REUTERS/Stephanie McGehee
A view shows the first parliament session held after elections, in Kuwait City, Kuwait December 15, 2020. REUTERS/Stephanie McGehee

The decision of Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al Sabah to constitutionally dissolve the National Assembly and call for new general elections was widely welcomed by politicians and parliament members.

National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim said in a tweet: “Based on Sharia, the Constitution, and our morals as Kuwaitis, we must rally around the political leadership in what it sees as the supreme interest of the nation, and support and assist it until we take Kuwait to safety.”

In a speech on behalf of Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al Sabah, Sheikh Meshal said: “We have decided to dissolve the National Assembly and call for general elections… The people themselves will have the final word in correcting the political scene by selecting those who properly represent them.”

Former National Assembly Speaker Ahmed Al-Saadoun expressed his sincere thanks and appreciation to the Emir of Kuwait and the Crown Prince.

For his part, former MP Musallam Al-Barrak said: “Thank you, Your Highness, you have made a wise decision to preserve Kuwait and its people, and you have fulfilled your oath before God and the people… Peace has settled in the hearts of the people.”

The National Democratic Alliance in Kuwait issued a statement in which it valued the constitutional principles on which the political leadership’s discourse was based, especially with regards to giving the Kuwaiti people the opportunity “to choose their representatives without the interference of the political authority.”

The National Democratic Alliance called on all political parties and the Kuwaiti people “to seize this opportunity to rebuild confidence in our political and democratic institutions and to choose their representatives wisely for the next assembly.”

The Islamic Constitutional Movement said that the crown prince’s speech ended the political impasse in the country.

In a statement, the movement said: “The constitutional dissolution of the National Assembly ends the complete paralysis that afflicted the two authorities, which halted the desired development and disrupted legislation and serious oversight. Returning to the people is the ideal constitutional solution, which affirms that the nation is the source of all powers.”

MP Ali Al-Kattan called on the people to rally behind the Kuwaiti leadership, saying: “Following the speech of His Highness, Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al Sabah, we can only rally around our wise political leadership that puts the interest of Kuwait and its people above everything else.”



MWL Condemns Israeli Forces' Burning of Hospital in Gaza

People carry the dead body of a Palestinian at Kamal Adwan Hospital, during the ongoing Israeli military operation, amid Israel-Hamas conflict, in Beit Lahiya, in the northern Gaza Strip, December 17, 2024. (Reuters)
People carry the dead body of a Palestinian at Kamal Adwan Hospital, during the ongoing Israeli military operation, amid Israel-Hamas conflict, in Beit Lahiya, in the northern Gaza Strip, December 17, 2024. (Reuters)
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MWL Condemns Israeli Forces' Burning of Hospital in Gaza

People carry the dead body of a Palestinian at Kamal Adwan Hospital, during the ongoing Israeli military operation, amid Israel-Hamas conflict, in Beit Lahiya, in the northern Gaza Strip, December 17, 2024. (Reuters)
People carry the dead body of a Palestinian at Kamal Adwan Hospital, during the ongoing Israeli military operation, amid Israel-Hamas conflict, in Beit Lahiya, in the northern Gaza Strip, December 17, 2024. (Reuters)

The Muslim World League (MWL) strongly condemned on Saturday Israeli forces for burning a hospital in the Gaza Strip and forcing the evacuation of patients and medical staff.

In a statement, MWL Secretary General and Chairman of the Organization of Muslim Scholars Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa slammed the “horrific crimes that the Israeli forces continue to commit against civilians and civilian facilities in the Gaza Strip without deterrence, in flagrant violation of all international and humanitarian laws and norms.”

Israeli soldiers stormed and burned a hospital in isolated northern Gaza after forcibly removing staff and patients on Friday, Health Ministry officials said. The Israeli military said the hospital was being used by Hamas fighters as a base, although it did not provide evidence.

Gaza's Health Ministry said Israeli troops set fires in several parts of Kamal Adwan Hospital, including the lab and surgery department. Israel's military said there was only a small fire in an empty hospital building, and was unaware of any Israeli gunfire causing the blaze.