Abdul Karim az-Zubeidi, President of the Association of Palestinian Local Authorities (APLA), called on the international community to use all available means and make extensive efforts to exert pressure on Israel, including boycotting Israel and supporting corporations. Az-Zubeidi stressed the importance of adopting a unified global stance to press for putting an end to Israel’s genocide against our Palestinian people. 

Az-Zubeidi made this statement in an interview with the Konya TV on sidelines of his participation in the United Cities and Local Governments Middle East and West Asia (UCLG-MEWA) Executive Bureau meeting, held in Konya, Türkiye.

In the session on High-Level Dialogue Climate Change and Its Impact on Cities, Az-Zubeidi made a presentation on the challenges facing Palestine due to the Israeli occupation and associated impact on the environment and natural resources. Highlighting the Israeli ecocide, Az-Zubeidi elaborated on the strategies adopted by Palestinian local government units (LGUs) to resist and face challenges posed by Israel’s humanitarian and environmental crimes. These have resulted in the death of thousands of citizens, major damage of Palestinian cities, land confiscation, and destruction of the green environment, causing environmental pollution and destruction of infrastructure.

As part of his participation, Az-Zubeidi met with Sıraç Çelik, President of the South-eastern Anatolia Region Union of Municipalities, to explore ways to promote cooperation between Palestinian and Turkish LGUs. Az-Zubeidi underlined the role this would play in supporting Palestinian LGUs in a wide range of areas and strengthening Palestinian resilience. He further underscored the Turkish people and municipalities’ support of the Palestinian cause at political and popular levels.