Turkey seeks pilgrimage to occupied Jerusalem.
The Palestinian Authority, while appreciating Turkey’s decision to arrange for its citizens to travel to Jerusalem, called on other Islamic countries to follow suit to emphasize the Palestinians’ right to Jerusalem.
The Palestinians welcomed the decision of the Turkish Ministry of Religious Affairs to arrange pilgrimages to Jerusalem from January 4th.
According to Al-Quds Al-Arabi, “Mahmoud Al-Habash”, the Chief Palestinian Judge and Advisor for Religious Affairs and Islamic Relations of the PA, welcomed the Turkish decision and said: “Muslim and Christian trips to Jerusalem and pilgrimage there, a material, spiritual and political support for Palestine.” And our compatriots in Jerusalem, and especially the Palestinian identity, are considered Jerusalem.
Al-Habash called on Arab and Islamic countries to take a similar decision to Turkey in organizing tourist trips to Jerusalem. Islam has intensified it.
The PA official also described the visits of Arabs and Muslims to Jerusalem as a religious virtue and a political necessity at this critical juncture.
Last week, he met with Ali Arbash, the head of Turkish religious affairs in Ankara, to discuss various issues in support of Jerusalem and the preservation of its Islamic identity, and ways to counter the Zionist regime’s aggression against the settlers. There was an increase in the individual or group travel of Turkish Muslims to Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The Turkish Ministry of Religious Affairs has said that 37 tours to Jerusalem will be organized during 2022, and that individuals will provide information and guidance to pilgrims in Jerusalem during the trip.
The Palestinian Authority has repeatedly called on Arab and Islamic countries to make pilgrimage to Jerusalem to emphasize its Islamic and Palestinian identity.
The Palestinians, meanwhile, condemn the visit of delegations from countries that have compromised with Tel Aviv to the holy sites of Jerusalem and emphasize that their prayers and worship at the Al-Aqsa Mosque are not acceptable.