According to Wafa News Agency, Palestinian Culture Minister, Atef Abu Saif said Al-Khalil was nominated to shed light on the Zionist’s attempts to Judaize the city, steal its heritage and antiquities, and change its Arab-Islamic identity.

He said that naming Al-Khalil as the capital of Islamic culture for 2026 is of great importance because it means that the Islamic world will focus its efforts on cultural work in Al-Khalil with programs, plans, and visions aimed at strengthening its Islamic identity in light of Zionist’s attempts to change its character as an Arab Islamic city.

“We have a great responsibility to present what is happening in Al-Khalil to the Islamic world to tell them a clear message that preserving the holy places requires effort from all of us and strong interventions in order to preserve the Palestinian identity in this city,” said the culture minister.

It is worth noting that al-Quds was the capital of Islamic culture in 2019 and the capital of Arab culture in 2009, and Bethlehem was the capital of Arab culture in 2020.

SD/PR