CAIRO: Kuwaiti National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem on Saturday called for supporting moderate Palestinian forces in the face of recurring Zionist attacks and breaches, slamming those whom he branded as "surrender dealers". Ghanem, addressing the inaugural session of the 33rd conference of the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union, affirmed the necessity of holding the session on Palestine regardless of demoralizing rhetoric by some parties, whom he dubbed as "traders of surrender."

Contesting the argument that Arabs' gatherings on Palestine have been rhetorical, Ghanem said, "Every meeting and forum where the name of Palestine is mentioned is important...because our conflict with the enemy is actually a strife between memory and memory loss, an existential presence vis-a-vis extermination plots". "The enemy is scared of the memory of Palestine and the land and has done a great deal to portray itself as an oasis of democracy, plurality, freedom and progress. However, day after another it has proven to be an arena for state terrorism and plunder of land history," the chief Kuwaiti lawmaker added.

"When I say the Palestinian is the enemy's eternal curse, I do not exaggerate, for the Palestinian is a ghost and an eternal nightmare haunting him (the Zionist)," Ghanem said. "I am not exaggerating in this context because Shireen Abu Akleh did not carry guns or stones or a placard; she simply was guarding the Palestinians' memory through her media profession and the enemy is aware that the picture is stronger than the rifle in many cases."

Affirming the crucial role of Palestinian journalists and writers in the struggle against the Zionist entity's occupation, Ghanem said: "Since the time of Ghassan Kanafani until the time of Shireen Abu Akleh, the enemy has been afraid of Palestinian soft forces. The Palestinians have their own poetry, narrations, songs, films, dabkeh (folkloric dance), hymns, food, rites, old stories and all heritage assets upon which the genuine landlord hinges."

The late Kanafani was a famous Palestinian writer who published novels and narrations about Palestine and the Palestinians' struggle. Abu Akleh, a journalist who worked for Al-Jazeera television, was recently shot dead in the head in Jenin. Affirming that the resistance is not confined to the armed struggle, the Kuwaiti parliament speaker said the struggle against the occupation involves Palestinians of all walks of life and diverse specialties and knowledge, such as the engineer, doctor, novelist, poet, painter, etc.

"The enemy's dilemma is not solely with the Palestinian martyr but also with the Palestinian witness; for Abu Akleh is a witness and the enemy is naturally scared of witnesses," Ghanem said. He called for financial aid for "soft Palestinian forces" - those who struggle against the occupation without guns. - KUNA