President Mahmoud Abbas meets church leaders and accepts Jordanian conference invitation

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with leaders and representatives of Christian churches in the Holy Land at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah. During the meeting, Abbas emphasized the national role of Christian institutions in supporting Palestinian steadfastness and maintaining the Christian presence in Palestine. He stressed that Muslims and Christians constitute a single people with a shared national identity and destiny.

Abbas also addressed the necessity of protecting Islamic and Christian holy sites, condemning taxes imposed by occupation authorities on churches in Jerusalem. He expressed appreciation for the efforts of church leaders to alleviate suffering in the Gaza Strip and noted the communication from Pope Francis regarding the situation.

In a separate development, President Abbas received an official invitation from King Abdullah II of Jordan to participate in a high-level conference titled ‘Preserving Humanity in War.’ The conference is scheduled to be held in Jordan this coming December. The event is organized in cooperation with Brazil, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, and South Africa, in partnership with the International Committee of the Red Cross, to reinforce commitment to international humanitarian law and the rules of war.