'There will be no peace as long as Palestine is under Israeli occupation:’ Palestinian aide

By Ali Cura

MOSCOW (AA) - A top Palestinian official denied the possibility of peace in the Middle East as long as Israel continues to occupy the Palestinian territories.

"There will be no peace as long as Palestine is under Israeli occupation," Mahmoud al-Habbash, the Palestinian Authority’s top Sharia judge and President Mahmoud Abbas’s adviser on religious and Islamic affairs, said in a speech at the 20th International Muslim Forum in the Russian capital Moscow on Saturday.

Al-Habbash said that UN resolutions on Palestine have not yet been implemented despite the support of more than 120 countries.

"The US talks about peace but does the exact opposite. There will be no peace under these conditions. There will be no peace as long as the Palestinian people are subjected to oppression," he said.

He further said the situation is the same in the West Bank as in Gaza, and that Israel continues its attacks not only on mosques but also on churches.

"This ongoing insult to sacred values could lead to something terrible, namely a religious war that would be devastating for everyone. If this happens, then not only the Palestinians, not only the Arab region, but the entire world will pay the price of this war," he also said.

"The entire world will pay the price for the continuation of this terrible situation that could lead to an explosion that will leave no one behind," he added.

The 20th International Muslim Forum is held in Moscow with the participation of representatives of Muslim organizations from 65 federal subjects of Russia, as well as officials from 15 different countries and different Islamic organizations.