"Islamic Cooperation" Condemns Israel - the Occupation Force - for Preventing the Latin Patriarch from Entering the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Occupied Jerusalem

SadaNews - The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation strongly condemned the Israeli occupation authorities for preventing His Beatitude the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and the Custodian of the Holy Land, Father Francesco Patton, from reaching the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in occupied Jerusalem to hold Palm Sunday Mass.

The General Secretariat of the organization affirmed that this arbitrary prevention constitutes a blatant violation of the right to worship and an infringement on the legal and historical status of the holy sites, and comes within the framework of targeting the authentic Christian presence in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem.

It also warned of the dangers of the escalating Israeli violations against the holy sites, including the continued closure of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and renewed its call for the international community to take practical measures to pressure the Israeli occupation authorities to stop these violations, ensure freedom of worship, and preserve the legal and historical status quo in the Islamic and Christian holy sites.