RAMALLAH, Wednesday, July 15, 2020 (WAFA) – President Mahmoud Abbas Wednesday pledged to spare no effort to safeguard Jerusalem amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“Even though we are facing the coronavirus pandemic, we will not spare any effort to safeguard Jerusalem and the Jerusalemites, and we will do everything possible to support and safeguard it, and will never allow anyone to tamper with its properties,” President Abbas stated.

He stressed the need to “stand united against the schemes targeting the Palestinian question and the Palestinian national project”, particularly Israel’s illegal annexation move and persistent efforts to Judaize Jerusalem.

Abbas made his remarks during a phone call with Premier Mohammad Shtayyeh during a meeting for the Higher Committee of Jerusalem at the Premier’s Office in Ramallah.

Meanwhile, the committee discussed the means to support Palestinians in Jerusalem, mainly through offering cash assistance to shop owners in Jerusalem’s Old City to help them cope with the financial fallout triggered by the pandemic.

It also discussed offering financial aid to Jerusalem hospitals to ensure their operations during the pandemic crisis and decided to set up a committee to be in charge of addressing some issues related to Al-Makassed Hospital as well as exploring the means to sustain education institutions in the city.

K.F.