The Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine condemned the provocative and violent flag march through occupied Jerusalem by Israeli far-right settler groups to mark Israel’s occupation of the city in 1967. The Committee considers this march as a blatant assault on the rights and sentiments of Palestinian Muslim and Christians and their holy sites, reflecting Israel’s colonial policies and clear intentions to Judaize Jerusalem and impose its alleged sovereignty over the city.
In a statement issued by member of the PLO Executive and Head of the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine, Dr. Ramzi Khouri, the Committee, rejects any measures aimed at altering the status of Jerusalem. It denounced the storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by hundreds of extremist settlers and Knesset members, violating its sanctity and status. The acts of bullying, vandalism, and violence against Palestinians by Israeli occupation forces and settlers illustrate the deep-seated hatred of these groups, led by ministers in the Israeli occupation government.
The committee called on churches worldwide and their institutions, the international community, and relevant organizations to urgently take a firm stance and confront these extremist groups and the government that leads, funds, and protects them.
The committee reaffirmed that the city of Jerusalem, occupied by Israel in 1967 and illegally annexed in 1981, in direct violation of international law is the eternal capital of Palestine, as recognized by UN resolutions and acknowledged by 148 countries.
The committee concluded its statement by emphasizing that Israel’s war on Palestinian land and holy sites in occupied Jerusalem and throughout Palestine is intrinsically linked to the Israel’s genocidal war in the Gaza Strip, and atrocities in the occupied West Bank. These include settlement construction and expansion, killings and arrests of Palestinians, and destruction in the cities, villages, and camps.
