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Palestine Foreign Ministry calls on Washington to protect Jerusalem churches 

June 11, 2022 at 10:17 am

Orthodox Christians attend a service at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem 23 April 2022 [Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu Agency]

The Palestinian Authority (PA)’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday condemned the decision of the Israeli Supreme Court and its rejection of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate’s appeal against the decision to seize church property in the Bab Al-Khalil area of occupied Jerusalem.

In a statement received by Quds Press, the Foreign Ministry considered the Israeli court’s decision as: “New evidence that the court and judicial system in Israel is an integral part of the occupation system, and is involved in providing legal protection for the confiscation of Christian and Islamic property in Jerusalem as part of its continuous attack to Judaise Jerusalem and its sanctities.”

The PA’s Foreign Ministry called on the United Nations (UN) Security Council to assume its legal and moral responsibilities, stop the double standards policy and respect and implement UN resolutions immediately, specifically Resolution 2334.

It also called on the US administration to fulfil its commitments and promises, beginning with: “The speedy reopening of the consulate in Jerusalem and pressure on the occupying power to stop its persecution and Judaisation of Jerusalem.”

On Wednesday evening, the Israeli Supreme Court rejected a petition submitted by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate to nullify the seizure of three of its properties by the Ateret Cohanim settlement organisation in Bab Al-Khalil in the Old City in occupied East Jerusalem.

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