Address by His Excellency

Mr. Yahya Yakhlef(*)

Eminencies and Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to extend my thanks to the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO), all the participants, the Jordanian government and the National Jordanian Commission on Education, Culture and Sciences. I would also like to commend this blessed initiative that seeks to protect and preserve Islamic and Christian holy sites in the occupied Palestinian territories, and to expose the dangers besieging the city of Al Quds Al Sharif, such as the judaization of al-Quds al Sharif, altering its character and social fabric, desecrating its sanctities, laying siege to it and isolating it from the rest of Palestinian territories.

Speaking about Al Quds and its holy sites always brings to mind the great leader and eternal symbol, one of the brave knights of Arab hood and of the Islamic identity of the holy city, President Yasser Arafat who carried Al Quds in his heart and mind and repeated until his last breath these words : “He who cedes one iota of soil of Al Quds Al Sharif is not one of us”.

The holding of the second conference on the protection of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Palestine at the current juncture is of paramount importance.  The Israeli incursions are escalating everywhere in the Palestinian territories, and taking a sinister twist in Al Quds Al Sharif. This threat is felt in the practices of Israeli occupation, such as settlement expansion, the isolation of the city, building the separation wall around it, denying the faithful access to Al Haram Al Sharif to pray, plotting to undermine Al Aqsa Mosque, pursuing annexation policies and policies of expansion and expropriation of lands, building settlement roads and implementing the Greater Jerusalem scheme which is gobbling up the lands, villages and towns surrounding the city, and illegally annexing them to Israel.

All of this only confirms that Israeli aspirations are not mere statements and empty threats expressed through the media. They are actual measures and practices that have earned the support of the United States, in violation of the resolutions of international legality and in defiance of international laws under the helpless gaze of the world. The state of Israel has risen above the reach of law. Therefore, the challenge facing us today cannot be made light of; nor can it be met with passionate political speeches, slogans, and statements of condemnation and denouncement. We cannot limit ourselves to a mere description of the existing situation without thinking of decisions and practical measures to confront the catastrophe that is looming ahead. We cannot condemn what Israel has done and continues to do without securing the prerequisites of steadfastness for the population struggling in Bayt Al Maqdis.

The emphasis placed by this Conference on the elaboration of a media plan to expose the aggressions and violations that the city of Al Quds is subjected to represents a praiseworthy contribution towards protecting the city and its sanctities, as well as a commendable endeavour that necessitates further efforts in order for it to top the concerns of the Arab, Islamic and international communities, and the agendas of the United Nations, international conferences and gatherings and the world public opinion.

We need to secure the commitment of the international community to its responsibilities in protecting the resolutions of international legality that declare the city of Al Quds as occupied territory governed by the decisions of the Security Council and the resolutions of the General Assembly, which decisions do not admit the usurpation of land by force and do not allow occupation forces to act in any way that is likely to change the unique character of the holy city or  undermine the civilian rights of its inhabitants.

Devising a comprehensive media plan to address international public opinion, backed by the force of international law and the resolutions of international legality, will open new horizons for the endeavour to protect the holy city and its sanctities, and will give a new lease of life to the struggle of its people.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The Palestinian Liberation Organisation and the National Palestinian Authority place the issue of Al Quds at the top of the Palestinian policy priorities.  Today, we are facing the most despicable forms of Israeli military aggression and discriminatory practices that seek to bring the Palestinian people to their knees, accept asinine solutions and renounce their national rights and constants. At the Clinton-sponsored Camp David negotiations, the leader and symbol Yasser Arafat refused to renounce Al Quds and compromise on the issue of refugees. As a result, he was punished through military incursion in which all the territories under the National Palestinian Authority were re-occupied. He was punished and placed under siege in his headquarters in Ramallah; and Israel and the United States considered him an outsider and totally irrelevant to the peace process.

But these military blows and the abject siege imposed today on the entire Palestinian population in the occupied territories are not a political failure, nor have they succeeded in chipping away at the will of the Palestinian people. These people have remained attached to their inalienable rights, the right to return for refugees, the right to self determination and the right to establish the independent state of Palestine with Al Quds Al Sharif as its capital.

The National Palestinian Authority places the issue of Al Quds among its top priorities and confronts this onslaught with consolidating the culture of steadfastness, diplomatic endeavours and the intensification of legal efforts. For this purpose, we have brought the issue of the separation wall before the Hague International Court of Justice and before the UN General Assembly, and obtained fair decisions that have a legal and moral force. We considered that as part of our struggle in defending our cause.

Revitalising and enlightening international law is our most important task at the international level. There is no doubt that what you seek to achieve through devising a comprehensive media plan and placing the issue of Jerusalem under the spotlight in international forums and before the world public opinion, is a step in the right direction.

I would like to underline here the role played by the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, in cooperation with the National Palestinian Authority and the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation -ALECSO-, as well as  with Arab countries to protect the cause of Al Quds, and the educational and cultural institutions in Palestine through their interactions with international organisations, particularly UNESCO which, as the body in charge of the protection of cultural assets, should discharge its responsibility vis-à-vis the city of Al Quds. Considering that the city of Al Quds qualifies for the cultural protection of UNESCO, and that the cultural heritage of Al Quds is under threat because of occupation and war, we need to be alert to Israeli attempts to infiltrate UNESCO resolutions and reports. Lately, the Commission tasked by the UNESCO Director General to conduct a site visit in Israel submitted a report in which Zionist terms were used. The noble Haram Al Sharif was referred to as Temple Mount.

Through cooperation with ISESCO, ALECSO and the Arab Group at UNESCO, we managed to obtain the commitment of UNESCO Director General to redress this terrible mistake. This event tolls the bells of danger and alerts us to the need to work harder to consolidate our presence on every arena that could have any bearing on the international scene.

Once again, I salute you in the name of the Palestinian Liberation Movement and the National Palestinian Authority, and commend this genuine endeavour to protect the city of Al Quds and the Islamic and Christian holy sites. We must all arm ourselves with hope and forge ahead to win the challenge, attract the attention of the world’s public opinion and awaken the human conscience, for, in this world, there are people who cling to peace and justice, and who do have cultural ethics and respect for human values.

I wish your conference every success.

 Wa assalamu alaikum.

(*) Minister of Culture of the State of Palestine.