Manama: Qatar’s Emir Shaikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani will open the International Conference for the Defence of occupied Jerusalem, to be held in Doha next week.
The conference will include speeches by the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, the Arab League Secretary-General Nabeel Arabi, Secretary-General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ekme Al Deen Ihsanoglu, and United Nations Coordinator for the peace process in the Middle East Robert Serry.
Some 350 figures concerned with the Jerusalem question from Arab, Islamic and foreign countries are expected to attend the conference decided by Resolution 503 issued by the Supreme Council of the Arab League in Sirte, Libya, in March 2010.
The conference, on February 26-27, will feature issues of occupied Jerusalem and international law, history of Jerusalem, Jerusalem and colonies, Israeli violations and civil society organisations, Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported.
The first theme deals with the legal status of Jerusalem before and after the Israeli occupation, the reality and the future of Jerusalem under occupation, and the status of the holy places under international law.
The importance of highlighting the legal status of Jerusalem proves the illegality of the Israeli practices and violations in the holy city.
The second theme emphasises the most important aspects of the Jerusalem issue, including historic dimension and its status among the three monotheistic religions, and the Arab identity of the holy city.
The third theme addresses procedures for the systematic intensification of colony and land confiscation in occupied East Jerusalem and the surrounding areas, as well as the demographic changes from 1967 to 2020, by which Israel aims to establish the Greater Jerusalem.
The Conference will tackle ways to rescue Jerusalem, the Arab vision against the Israeli plan, the central role of Jerusalem in Palestinian politics, economy and culture and the protection of the city’s religious, cultural and architectural characteristics.
The fourth theme discusses the role of institutions in the holy city as well as ways to find appropriate measures to activate the contribution of civil society organizations in maintaining the Arab identity in the city.
