December 17, 2017•Update: December 18, 2017
By Qais Abu Samra, Ali H. M.Abo Rezeg
RAMALLAH
Arab radio stations and TV channels will launch a joint broadcast on Sunday in a show of support for Jerusalem following a U.S. move to recognize the holy city as Israel’s capital.
“This is a message to [U.S. President Donald] Trump that his declaration about Jerusalem is rejected,” Ahmed Assaf, the general supervisor of official Palestinian media, told Voice of Palestine Radio.
“It’s also a message to Israel that Jerusalem belongs to Palestinians and Arab,” he said.
“This message is also directed to our people that they are not alone in defending Jerusalem,” Assaf said.
He said a large number of Arab radio stations and satellite channels will take part in the transmission under the title “Jerusalem Unites Us”.
The official Palestine TV and Voice of Palestine radio station will host a number of Palestinian and Arab guests to speak about the importance of Jerusalem to Arabs and Muslims.
Last week, the Arab States Broadcasting Union set Dec. 17 to show solidarity with the Palestinians by launching a joint broadcast in support of Jerusalem.
Trump’s decision earlier this month to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital has triggered a storm of condemnations and protests in the Palestinian territories and several Arab and Muslim countries.
At a Tuesday summit in Istanbul, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) responded to the controversial U.S. move by formally recognizing East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.
Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Israel-Palestine conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem -- now occupied by Israel -- might eventually serve as the capital of a Palestinian state.
