Dr. Ramzi Khoury, Director General of the Palestinian National Fund, and President of the Higher Presidential Committee of Churches Affairs, met with Her Excellency Dr.Laila Ghannam, the Governor of Ramallah and Al-Bireh, in the presence of Mr. Mousa Hadid, Mayor of Ramallah and member of the Higher Presidential Committee of Churches Affairs, together with representatives from the city’s church council and different youth and women’s organizations, accompanied by Ambassador Amira Hanania, General Manager of the committee ,in preparations for the Christmas Parade and its festivities.
At the beginning of the meeting Dr.Khoury conveyed the greetings of President Mahmoud Abbas and briefed on the Committee’s work and its cooperation with various parties, especially the governorates and municipalities to pass on the Palestinian religious and national message to the whole world, clarifying that the committee is working to create a joyous atmosphere through many events , especially the Christmas parade, which will pass this year from four governorates: Bethlehem, Ramallah, Jericho, and the town of Zababdeh in Jenin.
Dr. Khoury saluted the Palestinian people for protecting the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem that are under direct attack by the Israeli occupation, stressing that the message of Christmas holiday is a message of love and peace to the world and that our people yearn to live in peace on their land and to end the sufferings that are similar to the sufferings of the Palestinian Christ.
Furthermore, Dr. Ghannam wished the Palestinians a happy holidays on Christmas , the festival of brotherhood and love, praising the coexistence in Palestine, where both Muslims and Christians share the same struggle and destiny. She stressed that this holiday is a national holiday for all Palestinians, emphasizing that Christians in Palestine have always been and will always be an important part of the Palestinian social fabric.
Dr.Ghannam stressed that efforts are being made by all parties to make this holiday a success and pointed out that religious tolerance, security, stability and national unity in Palestine are the basis for the establishment of a fully independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.