Archbishop Atallah Hanna: Palestinians have not authorized any one to speak on their behalf in the forthcoming Bahrain conference

(ST) – Archbishop of Sebastia of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of al-Quds [Jerusalem] Atallah Hanna has said that Bahrain conference due to be held in late June is dubious and comes within the conspiracy hatched against the Palestinian people.
“We reject the dubious conference to be held in Bahrain because the Palestinian people’s cause is the cause of people who love freedom and it is not the cause of wages, food and drink. The Palestinians have not authorized any one to speak on their behalf in that conference,” His Eminence stated, according to a newsletter sent to the Syria Times e-newspaper.
His remarks came during a meeting with a British Parliamentary delegation visiting al-Quds [Jerusalem].
“We assert from this Holy place [al-Quds] that all conspiracies being hatched in the White House to eliminate the just Palestinian cause is doomed to failure,” the archbishop told the delegation, adding that United States’ mercenaries and agents have no powers to decide the fate of the Palestinian people and no power in the world is able to end the Palestinian people’s existence and rights.
“The Palestinian people do exist whether Trump has recognized that or not .. Our firm national rights are non-negotiable and Palestinians reject money in exchange for abandoning national principles,” His Eminence affirmed.
The archbishop made it clear that the cause of the Palestinian people cannot be limited to improving the financial and living conditions. “We do not underestimate the importance of this, but the demand of the Palestinian people is to resolve the Palestinian cause through ending the occupation and the unjust acts against them.”
“No one in this world has the right to erase the existence of Palestine from the map. Palestine does exist and it will remain regardless of who agrees or disagrees,” His Eminence concluded.
Washington announced, last week, that it would co-host the June 25-26 meeting in Bahrain’s capital city of Manama, purportedly to encourage investment in the occupied West Bank and the besieged Gaza Strip.

Basma Qaddour