International Conference on Israeli Ethnic Discrimination: Dimensions, Practices, and Countermeasures Held in Istanbul

Organized jointly by the Union of NGOs of the Islamic World (UNIW) and The Global Organization Against Racial Discrimination and Segregation, the program titled "International Conference on Israeli Ethnic Discrimination: Dimensions, Practices, and Methods of Resistance" was held on November 29 and 30, 2019, at the Marriott Hotel Şişli Istanbul. Bringing together over 300 academicians, thinkers, activists, and politicians from numerous global regions, the program addressed Israel's policies of ethnic discrimination in Palestine in detail.

During the opening ceremony, speeches were delivered by UNIW Secretary General Atty. Ali Kurt, President of The Global Organization Against Racial Discrimination and Segregation and former UN ESCWA Executive Secretary Dr. Rima Khalaf, Chief Adviser to the President of Turkey Adnan Tanrıverdi, and Archbishop of Sebastia from the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem Attalla Hannah.

In his opening address, UNIW Secretary General Atty. Ali Kurt stated: "As adherents of the monotheistic faith sharing common grounds under one God, one Prophet, and one Book, we live in days where, instead of complaining about adverse circumstances around us, we are obligated to re-establish our own dynamics and revive all our values. The organizers aimed to maximize awareness efforts regarding the Israeli apartheid regime; enhance its international visibility; advance existing research and documentation; and develop legal, grassroots, civil, and official initiatives toward dismantling the Israeli apartheid regime. In March 2017, a landmark report titled 'Israeli Practices towards the Palestinian People and the Question of Apartheid' was published by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). Prof. Dr. Virginia Tilley and Richard Falk, leading global experts who authored this report, also participated as key speakers in our program."

Emphasizing that they will continuously monitor and support the Palestinian cause, Atty. Ali Kurt stated: "Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque are the sacred trust handed down to us by Caliph Omar, Saladin Ayyubi, and Sultan Abdulhamid II. We will continue to champion the Palestinian cause until Palestine is free, until Jerusalem becomes the capital of this independent state, and until our last Palestinian brother returns to his homeland. While praying to Almighty Allah that this conference yields blessings for the Palestinian cause and the entire Islamic world, I express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Rima Khalaf, President of the International Organization Against Racial Discrimination, and her colleagues, with whom we jointly organized this conference; to my dear brother Muhammed Mişeniş, President of FİDDER, and his team; to all supporting institutions; and to our distinguished participants."