Palestinian official describes as positive and needed the trip of Moroccan pilgrims to Jerusalem
Palestine-Morocco, Economics, 3/11/1999

Palestinian official in charge of Al-Quds (Jerusalem), Faysal Al-Husseini, described Morocco's decision to send Moroccan pilgrims on a trip to Al Quds as a positive and needed initiative

The Palestinian official attended Wednesday in Rabat the first meeting of the tutorship committee of Bayt Mal Al-Quds, a fund set up to collect contributions to protecting the city against the Israeli attempts to obliterate its Arab-Islamic identity. He told MAP the holy city needs "an important Arab-Islamic presence."

Last Month, Moroccan minister of habous (Islamic endowments) and Islamic affairs, Abdelkbir Alaoui Mdaghri, announced that a group of Moroccan pilgrims will visit the city of Al Quds after accomplishing pilgrimage rites in the holy sites in Saudi Arabia.

The mosque of Al Aqsa in Al Quds is also considered as a holy shrine for Muslims.

The Palestinian official insisted that the trip to east-Al Quds is first of all a visit to the Palestinian authority.

The fund was set up in 1997 by the Organization of Islamic Conference with the aim of raising funds to maintain the Arab presence in the city and face Israel's "Judaization" policy.

Israel occupied and annexed the eastern part of the city in 1967. The international community has never recognized Israel's sovereignty over the city, including in the eastern part where the Palestinians want to establish their capital.

Under the Israeli-Palestinian peace accords, the status of Al Quds will be settled as part of negotiations on the final status of the occupied territories that are supposedly to wind up on May 4th, but actually have never started.

Previous Stories:
  Farouk Qaddoumi in Morocco to attend Jerusalem Fund constituent assembly   (3/9/1999)
  Al-Quds fund officially established in Morocco   (12/24/1998)
  Washington donor countries conference for Palestine starts   (11/30/1998)

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