Kuwaiti Health Minister Ahmad al-Awadhi withdrew from the Health Ministers' Conference held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in protest of the presence of the Israeli occupation's Minister of Health.

Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Qabas quoted sources as saying that al-Awadhi "left the hall before the start of the speech by the Israeli entity's minister" at the conference, at around 3:00 PM New York time.

The sources also noted that "al-Awadhi did not return to the hall, in line with Kuwait's consistent and firm positions on the Palestinian issue and other Arab issues."

It is worth noting that Kuwait adopts a steadfast stance on the Palestinian issue and the right of the Palestinian people to establish their independent state. The country is also committed to supporting the rights of Palestinians in the face of Israeli occupation.

Kuwait's Foreign Minister, Salem Al-Sabah, previously stated at a meeting of the Arab League's Ministerial Council earlier this month that "the Palestinian issue remains at the forefront of the challenges facing our Arab region, especially with the unprecedented Israeli aggression against our Palestinian brethren and the continued daily incursions into Al-Quds."

Read next: Normalization: A stab in the back to the Palestinian cause