Hanna warns of IOA exploitation of world's preoccupation with world cup

[ 17/06/2010 - 11:12 AM ]

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)--

Atallah Hanna, Archbishop of Sevastia, from the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, has said that the Israeli occupation authority's (IOA) plan to banish Jerusalemites from their city should be met with all possible legal and political counter measures.

He accused the IOA of exploiting the world's preoccupation with the world cup to expel Palestinian figures from the holy city, stressing that Jerusalemites are not aliens in their city.

He elaborated that Palestinians in Jerusalem are not a "community" or passersby needing residence permits, but rather they are inhabitants of their own city and will never be aliens.

The Archbishop asked all Jerusalemite institutions to study the matter with absolute seriousness, warning that today the Jerusalemite deputies are targeted and tomorrow many notables in the holy city will be targeted.

Hanna said that the recently published report about the IOA plan to exile 300 Jerusalemites was very serious, describing it as a violation of human rights and a desperate attempt to uproot the Palestinians from their city.

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