Secretary-General Abdullah Kanaan highlighted the need to end the Israeli occupation and restore Palestinians’ legitimate rights to their land and sanctuaries during Ramadan.

Citing recent violence in Jerusalem, Kanaan said that Israel’s activities in the city were “making headlines,” despite attempts by the country’s media to “conceal facts” and “divert attention away from the innocent victims.”

He added that Palestinians and Jerusalemites demonstrated to the rest of the world that Ramadan is a “month of patience, perseverance, and defense of Islamic and Christian sites” against the Israeli occupation led by the country’s right-wing government.

Israel has maintained policies of apartheid, settlement legislation and limitations on Jerusalemites for decades, in violation of international legitimacy and law, Kanaan added.

The RCJA urged pan-Arab unity and the renunciation of division, praising the Palestinian people for their “perseverance and resolve.”