Abbas rejects Israel measures against churches in Jerusalem

Worshippers gather outside the closed Church of the Holy Sepulcher, in the Old City of Jerusalem on 27 February 2018 [Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu Agency]

Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas handed 13 letters to representatives of states and international bodies based in Ramallah regarding the issue of churches in Jerusalem, Al-Khaleej Online reported yesterday.

In a press conference held in Ramallah, chief Palestinian peace negotiator Saeb Erekat said: “Abbas expressed his refusal of the Israeli measures against churches in Jerusalem.”

“The PA president is also exerting efforts with the Jordanian King Abdullah II, who is the guardian of the holy sites in Jerusalem, as well as with many other concerned parties to protect the holy sites.”

Erekat described the Israeli measures against churches in Jerusalem as “violations” of international laws and conventions.

Read: Palestinian government calls for international protection for Jerusalem churches

He accused the Israeli occupation of harming the Christian existence in Jerusalem, noting that the Israeli Separation Wall is being built on Christian lands in Beit Jala and the large illegal settlement of Har Hom is being constructed on church property in Jabal Abu Ghoneim.

Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre, revered as the site of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial, reopened yesterday after Israel backtracked from a tax plan and draft property legislation that triggered it to close for three-days in protest.

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