Zionism was a colonial project of European Jews, and was a secular movement which used religion later to recruit supporters. The plan was to acquire land and bring Jews to colonize it with the goal to takeover Palestine. Israel continues to be a settlers' regime wanting to ensure full control over all on Palestine, and all religious sites, both Christian and Muslim. Israel and the former South African apartheid regime have been compared.
The UN resolution 194 states that "the holy places, religious buildings, and sites in Palestine should be protected and free access to them assured, in accordance with existing rights and historical practice." The 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict prohibits Israel from destroying the Al-Aqsa mosque, and any acts of violence against it.
Palestinian resistance will continue to rise, as the young people who have never known freedom are hungry for the same human rights enjoyed by the Israeli citizens who occupy Palestine. A political, territorial and colonial struggle has a solution; decolonization and the restoration of the rights of the colonized people. This was a successful struggle in South Africa.
"The Israeli government should work to restrain Jewish extremists before they drag the whole region into more conflict and more violence," said Pastor Noam, Dean of St George the Martyr Cathedral in Jerusalem.
He said, "We as Palestinian Christians have always stood with our Muslim brothers and sisters in defense of our city and our holy places. We condemn any act of vandalism against holy sites of all Abrahamic faiths. We value the role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan as custodian of these holy sites. We always pray for the peace of Jerusalem."
"The Palestinian-Israeli conflict - and particularly in Jerusalem - is not about religion; that is, it is not between Muslims and Jews or Christians and Jews. From a Palestinian Christian perspective, the issue for us is the same as for the rest of Palestinians who are not Christians. Palestinians have the right to have their own state in their own territories. Palestinians aspire to be free in their own country, regardless of their religion," said Noam.
Eastern Orthodox Easter is on Sunday April 24. The church bells of Jerusalem will be ringing as the call to prayer is heard from Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
Steven Sahiounie is a two-time award-winning journalist
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