By George Swarei
The Palestinian Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Tamer Almassri joined a prayer meeting at Bishop Brian Mgabazi’s Covenant Life Ministry Church, Sunday to pray for the peace of Palestine.
The prayer was held on the occasion of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People which is observed by the United Nations on or around 29 November each year, in accordance with General Assembly mandates contained in resolutions 32/40 B of 2 December 1977, 34/65 D of 12 December 1979, and subsequent resolutions adopted under agenda item “Question of Palestine.”
Palestinian Ambassador to Zimbabwe said praying for Palestine by the Zimbabwean church is an important gesture which shows the two peoples are linked despite the geographical distance.
Ambassador Almassri said Palestine is a country of peace which has failed to enjoy its rights due to the invasion which started in 1948.
“Palestine defend our homeland and our holy sites especially in Jerusalem and Bethlehem. We cannot understand the Israeli occupation without understanding that the first target of the Zionist movement is to Judaise Palestine”
He said Israel doesn’t believe in other religions, “As we are defending Palestine we are defending Christianity and Islam”.
Almassri urged congregants to be conversant with proper information regarding Palestine. “Christians and Moslems co-existed in the Holy land for many centuries until the Zionist immigration started to Palestine in the year 1881”.
He told the church of the segregation that Arab Christians and Black Christians are suffering at the hands of Israeli government.
The 29th of November has great meaning and significance to the Palestinian people. On that day in 1947, the General Assembly adopted resolution 181 (II), which came to be known as the Partition Resolution. That resolution provided for the establishment in Palestine of a “Jewish State” and an “Arab State”, with Jerusalem as a corpus separatum under a special international regime. Of the two States to be created under this resolution, only one, Israel, has so far come into being.
The Palestinian people, who now number more than eight million, live primarily in the Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967, including East Jerusalem; in Israel; in neighboring Arab States; and in refugee camps in the region.
The International Day of Solidarity traditionally provides an opportunity for the international community to focus its attention on the fact that the question of Palestine remains unresolved and that the Palestinian people have yet to attain their inalienable rights as defined by the General Assembly, namely, the right to self-determination without external interference, the right to national independence and sovereignty, and the right to return to their homes and property, from which they have been displaced.
In response to the call of the United Nations, various activities are undertaken annually by Governments and civil society in observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. These activities include, among other things, the issuance of special messages of solidarity with the Palestinian people, the organization of meetings, the dissemination of publications and other information material, and the screening of films.
