KUWAIT CITY (AFP) – Kuwaiti MPs on Tuesday blasted Israel as a criminal state over its attack on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla and called on the government to withdraw from an eight-year-old Arab peace initiative.

Parliament approved a non-binding recommendation by 32 votes to six, urging the government to pull out of the plan that offered Israel full normalisation of ties in exchange for its complete withdrawal from occupied Arab land.

MPs met in an emergency session to debate the deadly Israeli attack on the aid vessels which had on board 18 Kuwaiti activists, including MP Waleed al-Tabtabai and six women.

Communications Minister Mohammed al-Baseeri told reporters after the session that the government would “deal positively with the recommendations.”

Other recommendations included urging Arab and Muslim states with diplomatic ties with Israel to suspend them, initiating a criminal suit against Israel at the International Criminal Court and securing the release of the Kuwaiti activists.

During the debate, MPs strongly condemned Israel for its “criminal actions” and called for lifting of the three-year-old blockade of Gaza and hailed Turkey’s stance.

“This attack reflects Israel’s criminal nature over the past 60 years,” since Israel came into existence, Islamist MP Adnan Abdulsamad said during the debate.

Relatives of Kuwaitis held in Israel attended the session wearing yellow ribbons and were greeted by MPs.

Liberal MP Marzouk al-Ghanem said one of the women activists, Senan al-Ahmad, raised 1.38 million dollars in donations and bought a vessel in Turkey to take part in the aid journey to Gaza.

Turkey was praised by a majority of the lawmakers.

“We salute the position of the Turkish government, which has helped expose the criminal actions of Israel,” said MP Maasuma al-Mubarak.

A statement issued by parliament described the attack on the vessels as a “heinous crime committed by the Zionist entity,” a “serious escalation,” and an act of “black piracy.”