Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who arrived in Cairo on Saturday to attend a conference in support of Jerusalem, will call for the establishment of an Arab fund to provide financial aid to the Arab residents of the city, Palestinian officials said.
The conference, which will be held on Sunday at the headquarters of the Arab League, comes amid fears of violence in Jerusalem ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, which starts on March 22. It also comes in the aftermath of the two recent terror attacks in Neve Yaacov and Ramot, in which nine Israeli civilians were killed.
The Palestinian ambassador to Egypt, Diab al-Louh, said Abbas's proposal calls for the establishment of the fund to support various small and medium-sized projects in Jerusalem.
Louh did not provide details about the proposed projects. He also did not say whether the projects would be carried out in areas located within the boundaries of the Jerusalem Municipality, where the PA is not permitted to operate.
But he said Abbas’s participation in the conference aims to “confront the practices of the Israeli occupation authorities there.”
Louh accused Israel of targeting Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem by increasing its efforts to “Judaize” the city and change the status quo at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound (Temple Mount).
He also accused the new Israeli government of working towards destroying the two-state solution. “Our goal is to highlight the suffering of the [Arab] residents of Jerusalem, defend their right to live on their land and provide more support for projects in the fields of health, education and housing,” the Palestinian ambassador said.
Main goal is to strengthen Jerusalem residents
Palestinian Minister for Jerusalem Affairs Fadi al-Hidmi, who is expected to participate in the conference, said its main goal is to “strengthen the steadfastness of the residents of Jerusalem.”
Hidmi pointed out that the timing of the conference was extremely significant because it’s being held at a time when Israel is stepping up its “assaults” against Jerusalem and its Arab residents.
He said the Arabs of Jerusalem have great expectations from the conference. He added that the Palestinians are determined to continue defending their holy sites in the city. “Jerusalem and its holy places will remain Palestinian, Arab and Islamic and the eternal capital of our Palestinian state,” Hidmi stressed.
Mahmoud Habbash, religious affairs adviser to Abbas, said the decision to hold the conference in support of Jerusalem was taken by the Arab summit held in Algeria in November 2022.
At the summit, the Arab heads of state stressed “the need to continue the efforts to protect the occupied city of Jerusalem and its holy places from the [Israeli] occupation’s rejected and condemned attempts to alter its demographic structure, its Arab, Islamic and Christian identity and its historical and legal status quo.”
Habbash said that Abbas will ask the Arab countries to support “vital projects” in Jerusalem, especially in the housing, industry and health sectors, as well as empowering youths and women.”
Jamal Rushdi, spokesperson for the secretary general of the Arab League, told the PA’s official news agency Wafa the conference, which is being held under the banner “Resistance and Development,” aims to support and strengthen the steadfastness of the people of Jerusalem.”
Rushdi noted that the Arab League has emphasized that supporting the Arab residents of Jerusalem politically and economically “is an obligation of all the Arabs and all those who support peace in the world.”
He said the conference also aims to present the issue of Jerusalem to international public opinion, including Israeli “violations and crimes” and attempts to “Judaize” the Al-Aqsa Mosque. He warned that Israel’s actions in the city may “ignite the situation in the region.”