Bethlehem – Dr.Ramzi Khoury, President of the Higher Presidential Committee of Churches Affairs and Director General of the Palestinian National Fund with Ambassador Amira Hanania, General Manager of the committee met with Ambassador Kees Van Baar, Head of Mission of the Representation of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Palestine, along with Mr. Maurits Oscam, First Secretary for Political Affairs and Human Rights and Mr. Wadih Razouq, Senior Policy Officer ,the two parties discussed ways of cooperation to enhance the Christian presence in Palestine.
Dr.Khoury discussed the challenges facing the Christian presence in Palestine, where the occupying power prevented the Christians of Gaza from participating in the Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem. He also requested from His Excellency to stand with the Palestinian people and their just cause in pressuring the Israeli government to allow Christians of Gaza to participate in the Christmas festivals of Bethlehem, stressing that this basic right guaranteed by all international conventions.
Dr.Khoury also called for the necessity of supporting the UNRWA, calling on the Netherlands to play a positive role in this regard.
Moreover, His Excellency Kees Van Baar expressed his joy for this meeting, and affirmed his country’s readiness to contribute to the work of preserving the Christian presence in Palestine and pressure the Israeli Authorities to allow Christian citizens of Gaza to participate in the Christmas festivals in Bethlehem.
