On the occasion of the Holy Month of Ramadan and the Burning of the Church in the Galilee

The holy month of Ramadan is a spiritual  and religious occasion for all Palestinians. It’s also a reminder of the difficulties that the Palestinian people face in order to exercise their right to worship. Israel continues to impose a permit regime hindering access of our people to their holy shrines in occupied East Jerusalem, our capital which is under occupation, suffocated by Israeli annexation policies aimed at turning the occupied city into an exclusive Jewish city.

Ramadan is a time for families and communities to come and celebrate together. In Palestine, thousands of families will be missing their beloved ones, either because they were killed, exiled or detained. Palestinian refugees in vast areas of Iraq, Syria and Lebanon are in constant risk just as thousands of Palestinians in Jerusalem will mark Ramadan with fears of being displaced from their beloved city.

The first day of Ramadan saw the burning of a Church in the Galilee. Churches and Mosques in all of historic Palestine continue to be targeted by Israeli terrorists who enjoy full impunity from their State. Hate speeches and incitement statements made by Israeli government officials calling upon this land to be recognized as exclusively Jewish encourage such acts.

This Ramadan should serve as a reminder for the need to achieve a just and lasting peace in Palestine. The only way to achieve Peace is by ending Israel's impunity for its blatant violations of International law . From Palestine, the heart of the Arab world, we would like to wish everyone a Blessed Ramadan.