His Eminence, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Prof. Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, received Mr. Agostino Palese, Ambassador of Italy to Cairo, on Monday at the headquarters of the Al-Azhar, to discuss a number of issues, foremost among them the latest developments in the Palestinian territories.
During the meeting, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar stated, “I am among those who firmly believe that Palestinian cause admits no disagreement, and leaves no room for contradictory opinions. The degree of injustice and aggression it represents, and the blatant violation of all civilizational, religious, humanitarian, and moral values has reached an extremely grave limit. This is particularly evident in moral transgressions, acts of bloodshed, and the killing of children. Matters have reached a point that leaves no one with any choice but to stand against these crimes. Otherwise, one becomes a participant and complicit in such humanitarian atrocities.”
The Grand Imam added, “Many martyrs have been lost because of such oppressive and unjust aggression that cannot be just described as a war, but rather as genocide carried out by a heavily armed military force against an unarmed people. While we deeply grieve for the blood of the martyrs, this occupying entity and its supporters have also suffered losses, as we witness a changing global landscape. For long time, the world had grown accustomed to accepting the occupier’s narrative, formed by false propaganda and a powerful media apparatus working day and night to propagate its allegations worldwide. Today, however, this narrative no longer holds. We now witness peoples in the West taking to streets to condemn the massacres in Gaza, describing the occupier as committing the most heinous atrocities against humanity. Accordingly, that popular support upon which the occupier had relied upon has collapsed after the true image of the occupier has come to reveal.”
The Grand Imam also said, “The two-state solution has been on the table for more than a quarter of a century without any major international will to implement it. I wonder: what has prevented its realization all these years? How many times has it been adopted by the major powers in the world, only to turn out to be little more than a maneuver rather than a sincere attempt to reach a just solution to the Palestinian cause?”
For his part, Mr. Agostino Palese expressed his pleasure at meeting the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar and his appreciation for the efforts undertaken by His Eminence to promote peace and to enhance values of positive coexistence worldwide. He noted that Italy maintains a firm position on the necessity of achieving peace in the Middle East and on prioritizing the delivery of humanitarian assistance to innocent civilians in Gaza.