JERUSALEM, February 16, 2011 (WAFA) - The secretary general of the Islamic Christian Commission in Support of Jerusalem and Holy Sites, Hassan Khater, said that the West Jerusalem municipality under Mayor Nir Barkat has developed a comprehensive plan to promote Jerusalem at wide level of international tourism and from a complete Israeli perspective.

Khater clarified that Barkat inaugurated a website for Jerusalem to provide services, temptations for tourists and to ensure free tours in the Old City through Virtual Reality technology as part of an Israeli propaganda.

He said that the plan is based on increasing the number of tourists from three million in 2010 to 10 million in 2020.

Khater asserted that “the occupation authorities tend strongly to invest in communication technologies and contemporary media in promoting the lies and allegations about Jerusalem and the Holy Land.”

He said, “The occupation today is doing its best to create fear and anxiety among the international tourism due to the current events in the Arab world and try to direct it to occupied Jerusalem, alleging that the occupying state is safe and stable oasis in the region.”

He warned that Israel’s trends to open up the doors of the holy city in front of supporters of the international Zionist movement comes in conjunction with the renewal of opinions and attitudes that prohibit visiting the city by Muslims and Christians.

He stressed that “the continuation of this unbalanced equation over the coming years would plunge the city and the holy sites in the atmosphere wanted by the occupation municipality; this atmosphere is quite alien to Jerusalem’s identity and its holy sites. The occupation municipality will further isolate Jerusalem and obliterate its Arab and religious spirit.”

Khater revealed that the trend today in support of Jerusalem and holy sites should be directed towards the Arab and Islamic youth rather than the leaders and official bodies that could not help Jerusalem over the past decades.

He said, “Our effort in this regard must be parallel to the Israeli effort, especially after our youth in Tunisia, Egypt and everywhere proved that they could make a tremendous victory; we hope that our youth will make Jerusalem the main issue this time, and I think they can win as they have done recently.”

M.A.