Abbas: We will not allow Israel to target the Christian presence in Palestine

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Friday that he would not allow Israel to target the Christian presence in the Palestinian territories.

This came in a speech he made on the occasion of Christmas, reported by the official Palestinian news Agency, Wafa.

Abbas stated, “Today we are facing the policies and actions of our occupier with unity, commitment to our national values, steadfastness on our land, and with the world standing on the side of truth and justice.”

“We will not accept the continuation of the occupation’s colonial-settlement policies targeting the Christian presence and Christianity in our region, which is an integral part of the social fabric of our people and of our region,” he added.

The President stressed that “we will continue to present our Palestinian narrative, refuting the false Zionist narrative, confronting any racist measures aimed at erasing our national identity, including our Christian and Muslim heritage.”

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The Palestinian President called on the international community to “stop remaining silent and confront the Israeli crimes by stopping the settlement expansion, annexation of lands, the creation of a racist colonial regime, the concomitant change of the identity and character of the city of Jerusalem, and the desecration of its Christian and Islamic sanctities.”

He said, “Our hearts are squeezed with pain and suffering due to the killings of the Israeli occupation that led to the martyrdom of hundreds during this year.”

“We will not accept the practices of the colonial-settlement occupation and will confront them with peaceful popular resistance, in all international forums and courts,” added Abbas.

The official celebrations of Christmas in Palestine reach their peak on the night of 24 December, when the midnight mass will be held.

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