Italy Muslims to hold pro-Palestine rallies on Quds Day

Muslims in Italy will hold rallies in support of the Palestinian people to mark the International Quds Day which is observed on the last Friday of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.
Italy Muslims to hold pro-Palestine rallies on Quds Day The significance of this annual occasion, which falls on August 2 this year, is reverberating in Italy whose role in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has not always been coherent.

“Many years ago, Italy used to hold a different position; pro-Palestine… even when our country was ruled by conservative parties. During [Silvio] Berlusconi’s lengthy …[term as] prime minister, Italy has completely changed its stance. Not for ideological reasons but simply because the country signed profitable deals with Israel,” Italian lawmaker Vincenzo Maria Vita said.

In August 1979, the late founder of the Islamic Republic Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini declared the last Friday of Ramadan as the International Quds Day, and called on Muslims across the world to mark the annual occasion by holding street rallies.

Like previous years, millions of people around the world will this year show their support for the people of Palestine and will call for an end to Israeli occupation of the Palestinian lands.

Hundreds of pro-Palestine associations are present in Italy. In the past years, many demonstrations have been held in different Italian cities in support of the people of Palestine, and condemnation of the Israeli regime’s occupation of the Palestinian lands.

“A recent survey has announced that the United States and Israel are the countries [where] people fear are most likely to trigger wars. Zionist Jews want to exploit the region for political goals and unfortunately Italy, as a state, is not doing anything to prevent this situation,” Head of Rome’s Palestinian Community Salameh Ashour said.

On Monday, Iran’s Ambassador to the Vatican Mohammed Taher Rabbani stressed the importance of the International Quds Day in defending the rights of Palestinians against the occupying regime of Israel.

“Quds Day rallies remind of Palestinians’ right to establish an independent state of their own and that they must be given an opportunity to choose their leaders,” the Iranian envoy pointed out.

Palestinians are seeking to create an independent state on the territories of the West Bank, East al-Quds (Jerusalem), and the Gaza Strip and are demanding that Israel withdraw from the Palestinian territories occupied in the Six-Day War of 1967.