Jeddah/Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 23-9-2007: Dr. Ahmad Mohammad Ali, President of the Islamic Bank for Development received yesterday, at the margin of the session twenty ninth for the Management Committee of Al-Aqsa and Jerusalem Funds, the Award of Palestine for Distinction and Creativity for the Category of Distinctive Islamic Institution from Dr. Abdel Malek Al-Jaber, the Secretary General of the award who handed it over on behalf of Mr. Sabih Al-Masri, the well known Palestinian Businessman and the big ameliorator and the manager of Palestine award for Distinction and Creativity and the founder of the award idea, during a special ceremony made at the Headquarters of the Islamic Bank for Development in Jeddah attended by the senior employees of the Islamic Bank for Development in addition to the members of the managerial committee for Al-Aqsa and Jerusalem Funds from the different Arab countries.

 

In this occasion, Abdel Malek Al-Jaber the Secretary General of the Award declared saying: “I am honored to personally hand you the award over on behalf of its Manager Mr. Sabih Al-Masri, and in the name of the Palestinian people who highly respect and appreciate you. The Islamic Bank for Development was chosen for the distinctive accomplishments it achieved as an Islamic institution characterized with continuous success in work, efforts and commitment towards the Palestinian people and both Arab and Islamic nations through relief or developmental projects which insures life continuity and development of the Palestinian economy despite the bad political conditions, indicating that Dr. Ahmad Mohammad Ali was able, through his sound vision and wise management to make from the Bank institution and Al-Aqsa and Jerusalem Funds the best support to the Palestinian people during long years of continuous suffering until this day”.

 

Dr. Al-Jaber Added “Palestine International Award for Distinction and Creativity may not compete other universal awards, due to its modernity and modesty, but we see it has a great moral value. When a people who still under occupation honor his creative and loyal people in this nation, like the Islamic Bank for Development, it is a strong massage from a people bitterly suffered, but it insists on life, creativity and building and it honors this method in life and everyone supported the Palestinian human being and his fair question”.

 

The Award Secretary General Dr. Abdel Malek Al-Jaber handed over Dr. Ahmed Mohammad Ali a special congratulations letter from His Excellency President Mahmoud Abbas “Abu Mazen” on the occasion of the Bank reception of Palestine Award Palestine for Distinction and Creativity for the Category of Distinctive Islamic Institution. The President of Islamic Bank for Development Dr. Ahmad Mohammad Ali said: “We congratulate our brothers in Palestine the beginning of the Holy Ramadan which we hope to come back by achieving their fair demands and their rights. We would like to assure in this occasion that the Islamic Bank for Development and Al-Aqsa and Jerusalem Funds will not save any effort in supporting and assisting the Palestinian people in all occasions and conditions. The Islamic Bank for Development is also looking forward to the time in which the occupation stops the continuous aggression and destruction acts to enable the benevolent Palestinians of resuming the way of development, construction and reconstruction”.

 

 

Dr. Ahmad Mohammad Ali, President of Islamic Bank for Development, expressed his gratefulness and appreciation to the Award Manager and, Secretary General, all people in its charge and the Palestinian people and he said “excuse me in my name and the name of all the employees of the Islamic Bank for Development and Al-Aqsa and Jerusalem Funds to pay gratefulness and thanks to the award delegation and the people in its charge for the noble and virtuous indication of choosing the Islamic Bank for Development to be honored on behalf as the distinctive Institution category”.

 

His Excellency Engineer Yousef Al-Bassam, Head of Managerial Committee of Al-Aqsa Fund, expressed his thanks and appreciation for this recognition and honoring to the role of the two Funds through the management of the Islamic Bank for Development stressing on the necessity of continuous work for the interest of supporting the brothers in Palestine.

 

Dr. Abdel Malek Al-Jaber, the Secretary General for Palestine Award for Distinction and Creativity appreciated “the pioneering role of the Islamic Bank for Development and its continuous care in supporting and assisting the Palestinian question over the previous years, indicating that the ceremony of launching Palestine Award for Distinction and Creativity comes in a very difficult time whereas the Palestinian people is in the most need for moral support from the brothers in the Islamic and Arab World”. He added “we have to prove to the world that Palestine is alive and in need for a chance to promotion and the Palestinian people have enough dignity and the virtue is still exist among the people of the country. The award and the ones who will be announced winning it among the Palestinians is the best evidence on the existence of self capabilities of creativity, promotion, renewal and showing the god face of Palestine.

 

Dr. Jawad Naji, Undersecretary of the Ministry of National Economy, represented the Palestinian National Authority, the representative of Palestine in the Managerial Committee for Al-Aqsa and Jerusalem Funds, who submitted congratulation letter from Dr. Salam Fayyad to Dr. Ahmad Mohammad Ali, the President of the Islamic Bank for Development. Dr. Naji congratulated the Bank on behalf of the National Authority and wished the continuity of appreciation and partnership with Palestine and its people on the way of sustainable development.

 

 

It is worthy mentioning that the honoring of the Islamic Bank for Development is considered the first public appearance of the award ceremony before its official date on the forth of November 2007. it is decided to conduct the central ceremony in Palestine under the sponsorship of the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) during which the award winners from Palestine will be honored in addition to a number of the international personalities.

 

 

Palestine Award for Distinction and Creativity is seeking to provide a motivation for the future generations for promoting the professional development and the commitment to high standards in work and creativity and solving the difficulties which hinder serving the Palestinian society. The Award standards were put in full professionalism and adequacy and comprehensive vision. The Award put in front of its eyes to be introduced to the Islamic, Arab and international institutions or personalities which contributed through their work to pushing the efforts for assistance in the economic development, relief and charitable work in Palestine, or presented for pushing the Palestinian question forward in order to be honored at the margin of the annual ceremony for the winners.

 

It is mentioned that the Managerial Committee for Al-Aqsa and Jerusalem Funds was acquainted, during its twenty ninth meeting which was convened yesterday Sunday headed by his Excellency Engineer Yousef Ben Ibrahim Al-Bassam, the representative of Saudi Arabia in the committee and the participation of his Excellency Ahmad Mohammad Ali, the President of the Islamic Bank for Development, with the implementation of the programs and projects funded by the two Funds in Palestine. This meeting was distinguished by the presence of a delegation from the Palestinian private sector headed by Dr. Abdel Malek Al-Jaber. The total expenditure from the revenues of Al-Aqsa and Jerusalem Funds, through the management of the Islamic Bank for Development in Palestine, spending on development projects, the special programs for the families in need, reclamation of agricultural lands, repairing the public entities, establishment of medical centers and schools, furnishing the hospitals, printing millions of school books and supporting the Palestinian Authority budget by then was 712 million dollars.