A Statement by the Spokesman of the Orthodox Church

The Holy City is in the heart and memory of every Moslem and Christian Arab

Jerusalem 23/7- The Archimandrite Dr. Atallah Hanna, the official spokesman of the Orthodox Church in Jerusalem and the Holy Land stressed that the Holy City is not just a Palestinian city but also an Arab one which lies in the heart & memory of each Moslem & Christian Arab.

Father Atallah was addressing a group of British Christian clergymen this morning at the Orthodox Church in Jerusalem, where he stated that the Holy City is an indivisible entity asserting that Jerusalem encompasses all holy places , land, and people, and that peace will never prevail unless it is returned to its Arab owners indicating that this return means the full Palestinian sovereignty over the city which should not be reduced or divided between one part of the city and the other.

Dr. Atallah has also reiterated that Jerusalem is an Arab city, pointing out that whoever does not realize this fact is ignoring the history and its facts, and that just and comprehensive peace will not be achieved without solving the issue of Jerusalem.

Dr. Atallah appealed to the Arab nation and all peace and justice lovers throughout the world to support the oppressed Arab right in Jerusalem, to support the Palestinian position and to work together to stop all conspiracies and attempts to defame this city and erase its Moslem and Christian Arab history.