Palestinian official institutions have condemned the Israeli Minister of Culture Miri Regev after she wore a dress with a panoramic image of Jerusalem highlighting Islamic and Christian holy sites during her participation in the Cannes International Festival held in France in an attempt to falsify the identity of the occupied city.
The Palestinian institutions considered the Israeli occupation’s continuation of adopting provocative positions against the Arab and Muslim peoples by wearing a dress with pictures of the city of Jerusalem on it reveals its intention to Judaize the occupied city.
The Islamic-Christian Commission to Support Jerusalem and the holy sites noted that Regev’s dress reflects “a continuation of Israel’s policy that is based on the Judaization of Jerusalem and its holy sites to control the city by force and to convince the world of its right to the city using various ways and means.”
The Commission said in a press statement on Thursday that Israel used every single means to spread lies and claims of its right to Jerusalem and its holy sites noting that the dress is designed to claim that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel while the truth is that Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine and it is under occupation.
The Secretary General of the Commission Hanna Issa said: These methods and measures are part of the Judaization process of the city which aim to make the city alien to its Arab character.
He called for refuting all Jewish claims by highlighting the history of Jerusalem its civilization and its Islamic and Christian landmarks. He called on local Arab and international media to shed light on the crimes committed by the Israeli occupation forces against the occupied city.
He stressed that the occupation authorities and settler groups use various means to Judaize Jerusalem and fully control it in order to realize their dream of building the alleged Temple warning that they are in the final stages of their Judaization plan.
The Islamic Christian Commission reiterated its call on the international community and all concerned institutions to bear their responsibilities towards the city of Jerusalem and its civilization and to save it from occupation and its plans.
Regev participated in the opening ceremony of the Cannes International Festival in its 70th edition. She wore a dress with pictures of Al-Aqsa Mosque on it to send a message that “Jerusalem is the capital of Israel” according to the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronot.
The newspaper said that Regev “made sure to wear the dress to emphasize that Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Israel.”
The Cannes International Film Festival began on Wednesday with the participation of a large number of movie stars. The Festival will last until May 28.
Palestinian activists and designers responded by changing the picture on the dress of the Israeli Minister of Culture with that of the separation wall and other pictures that reflect the Israeli terrorism against Palestinians.
Murad al-Sudani the secretary-general of the Palestinian National Committee for Education Culture and Science denounced Regev’s dress which was specially designed to be worn for the inauguration of the Cannes International Film Festival in France to tell a message that the Israeli occupation authorities completely control the holy city on the 50th anniversary of its occupation.
Al-Sudani said in a press statement on Thursday that what Regev did revealed her attempts at falsifying truth.
He stressed that the extremist minister’s dress is part of the Israeli occupation’s campaign to target the Palestinian Arab and global awareness by passing misleading and distorted information so as to support the fake narrative of the occupation.
He called on the Arab and foreign countries participating in the festival to take a stand against these Israeli measures especially after the passing of a resolution at the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) that considered the city of Jerusalem as an occupied city and the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Buraq Wall as Islamic heritage sites.
Israel has participated in the festival by four films (the Spirit of Ismail the Land of the Promise Siege and Heritage) which presented a number of fabricated stories to justify its occupation of the land of Palestine by presenting allegations of its right to this land. These films portray the occupation as ‘a victim of Arab aggression’ and ‘Palestinian terrorism.’
The Palestinian Ministry of Culture condemned Regev’s provocative act and said in a statement on Thursday that the act was “extremely dangerous” especially as it coincided with the 50th anniversary of the occupation of the Palestinian Territories (the Gaza Strip and the West Bank including East Jerusalem in 1967).
The Ministry noted that this act reflects Israel’s refusal to respond to international efforts and resolutions especially Resolution 242 and Resolution 338 describing the act as blatant provocation to the feelings of Muslims and Christians.
