NICOSIA, Wednesday, June 15, 2022 – President Mahmoud Abbas today met with the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Cyprus, Chrysostomos II, in Nicosia.

President Abbas briefed Archbishop Chrysostomos II on the latest developments in Palestine and the ongoing Israeli violations against the Palestinian people and holy sites, particularly the incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.

He highlighted recent Israeli actions targeting Christian and Muslim holy places, including the restrictions imposed by Israeli police on the number of Christian worshippers allowed to enter the Church of the Holy Sepulcher on Holy Saturday in April. President Abbas also referred to the recent trespassing by Israeli settler extremists into the Greek Garden on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, which is property of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate.

Ahead of the President’s visit, an agreement was reached with the head of the Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus to allocate a plot of land for the Embassy of the State of Palestine to construct its official premises.

K.F.

M.K.