BETHLEHEM, January 6, 2023 – President Mahmoud Abbas affirmed tonight that the Palestinian people will continue to stand firm on their ancestral land, preserving their cultural heritage and protecting their Islamic and Christian sanctities.

Speaking at a dinner in Bethlehem on the occasion of Christmas for Christian denominations following the Orthodox calendar, President Abbas commended the positions of states, international organizations, parliaments, church institutions, and Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, all of which have condemned the Israeli far-right government’s violations in occupied Palestine.

“We will firmly confront the grave violations committed by the new Israeli government and extremist settler groups—whether through the desecration of Al-Aqsa Mosque and other Islamic and Christian sanctities, or through the enactment of racist laws and policies that contradict international law and signed agreements,” the President said.

He reiterated his “condemnation and categorical rejection of the repeated attacks on church property in Jerusalem and across the Palestinian territories,” affirming, “We will remain committed to resisting the Israeli occupation and its settlement policies that aim to undermine the Palestinian Islamic and Christian presence.”

 

Full Speech of President Mahmoud Abbas on the Occasion of Orthodox Christmas

Your Beatitude Theophilos III,
Her Royal Highness Princess Maryam Ghazi, Representative of His Majesty the King of Jordan,
Your Excellencies, Distinguished Guests,

I am pleased to extend my warmest greetings to you, to our Palestinian people at home and abroad, and to all who celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, peace be upon him, according to the Eastern calendar. We share with you this great religious occasion and wish everyone a blessed Christmas and a new year filled with peace, security, and prosperity—for our people and for all the peoples of the world.

We reaffirm our commitment to continue celebrating our national and religious occasions and to protect our heritage, sanctities, and our Islamic and Christian presence on the holy land of Palestine. This is an integral part of our historical identity and national fabric in our cities, villages, and camps.

Our people will continue to stand firm on their land and the land of their ancestors, safeguarding their cultural heritage and their sanctities—foremost among them Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Church of the Nativity, and the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron.

We are the people of the Pact of Umar, which remains immortal. We hold fast to its spirit—defending our culture of tolerance, moderation, and brotherhood among peoples, preserving the identity and character of Jerusalem, and supporting the steadfastness of its people and its holy sites.

Brothers and sisters,
We will continue to confront the serious violations committed by the new Israeli government and extremist settler groups—whether through the desecration of Al-Aqsa Mosque and Islamic and Christian sanctities, or through racist laws and policies that contravene international law and signed agreements.

We are working in coordination with my brother, His Majesty King Abdullah II, the Custodian of the Hashemite Custodianship over the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem—whom we wish continued progress and prosperity—and with brotherly and friendly nations, to act through international and regional forums, including the UN Security Council, the League of Arab States, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Non-Aligned Movement, the African Union, and the European Union and its member states, to put an end to these violations targeting the historical and legal status of Jerusalem and its sanctities.

In this context, we commend the positions of states, international organizations, parliaments, church institutions, and Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, all of which have condemned these serious Israeli violations. We hope these positions will translate from words into concrete action.

We fully condemn and reject the repeated attacks on church property in Jerusalem and throughout Palestine, including in the Mount of Olives, the Hebron Gate area, Silwan, and Mar Elias, as well as the desecration of the Evangelical Episcopal Church cemetery in Jerusalem.

We remain steadfast in resisting the Israeli occupation and its settlement policies that seek to erase the Palestinian, Islamic, and Christian presence. We will continue to preserve our diverse Palestinian religious heritage, of which we are deeply proud, and call on everyone to help protect it as we march toward freedom and independence for our people and our State, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

On this holy occasion, from Bethlehem—Palestine’s city of peace—we say: Merry Christmas.
We extend our greetings to all who celebrate Christmas according to the Eastern calendar in Palestine and around the world, wishing everyone goodness, love, hope, and peace.

Merry Christmas.