Palestinians lay claims to Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem?February 17, 2011 - 11:40 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Palestinian Authority considers the Armenian Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem an integral part of east Jerusalem and won’t give up its claim to it, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said. Abbas’s remark came during a meeting in his office in Ramallah with leaders of various Christian communities in Jerusalem and the West Bank. Documents published by Al-Jazeera last month showed that PA negotiators had offered to relinquish any claim to the Jewish and Armenian Quarters in the Old City. “The Palestinian leadership sticks to its position that considers the Armenian Quarter an integral part of east Jerusalem, the capital of the independent Palestinian state,” Abbas told the Christian leaders. Abbas said that the PA was committed to supporting all Palestinian Christian communities and “enhancing their role in Palestinian society.” He added that the PA, together with some “friendly countries,” had endorsed a plan to renovate the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. The PA has established a special fund for renovating the church, Abbas disclosed. He said his government was also prepared to support all projects that preserve the Christian presence in the Palestinian territories. In order to support local products, Abbas added, he had instructed the PA government to ban the import of items that are often bought by Christian pilgrims, the Jerusalem Post reported. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Welcome to CaseKey 2024. Byblos Bank Armenia firmly stands by future innovators Strategic business cases, invaluable experience, innovative approaches and more than 25 events are in store for the participants of CaseKey 2024. Macron honors Charles Aznavour on 100th anniversary French President Emmanuel Macron has paid tribute to the memory of French-Armenian crooner Charles Aznavour. Blinken says U.S. reviewing a number of aid requests from Armenia He said the U.S. is reviewing the requests to determine what more it can do to increase its assistance to Armenia. At least 2 CSTO members participated in preparing 44-day war against Armenia – PM Nikol Pashinyan has declared that at least two CSTO member countries participated in preparations for the 44-day war against Armenia. |