Jakarta, IO – A Catholic priest from Jerusalem, Manuel Musallam, asked Christians in Palestine to help protect the Al-Aqsa Mosque from Israeli attacks. According to him, if Israeli plan is successful, it is tantamount to attacking the presence of Christianity and Islam in Jerusalem.
“Protecting Al-Aqsa Mosque means protecting the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Church of the Nativity, as well as the presence of Islam and Christianity in Palestine,” said Musallam as reported by Merdeka on Tuesday (27/9).
Musallam also stressed that the Palestinian people have faced aggression since the establishment of the Israeli-occupied territories. The Al-Aqsa Mosque, he said, is a symbolic site targeted by Theodor Herzel, the founder of the Zionist movement.
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Therefore, Musallam asked the Christians in Jerusalem and all the Palestinian territories to stand side by side with the Muslim community.
In addition, he urged Muslims and Christians to demonstrate in Palestinian cities especially on the roads leading to Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque. The movement must be carried out to reaffirm Palestinian identity against the Israeli occupation plan. (un)