The Youth Forum for Tolerance presents a Christmas tree to Gaza's Arab Orthodox church

The Youth Forum for Tolerance belonging to the Pal-Think for Strategic Studies centre presented a Christmas tree as a symbolic gift to the Porphyrius church in the middle of Gaza City, within the forum's efforts to support religious tolerance among the different strata of the Palestinian people. The tree was received by the trustees of the Arab Orthodox church in Gaza.

This visit, which the forum carried out on the occasion of the glorious Christmas, comes as an affirmation of the continuity of the activities the forum implements, during which it visited many archaeological places, the church being one of these places. Muslim and Christian youth participated in this visit.

The director of the Pal-Think for Strategic Studies centre, Omar Shaban, pointed out that the Palestinian people are one people, and said: “There is nothing that distinguishes between the categories of the Palestinian people, for we are all one hand and we take pride in our Palestinian identity. We came from various sectors as an affirmation from us of the necessity of the religious and communal bond”.

In his turn, Farouk Farah, member of the council of trustees of the Arab Orthodox church in Gaza, expressed the extent of his happiness at such an initiative, affirming the necessity of communication to work together within youth frameworks of different religions to elevate Palestinian society.

Farah added, saying: “This visit was not only a complement to the continuity of the youth forum's activities even after the end of the project's period, but an affirmation of the spirit of tolerance this programme has entrenched in the souls of Palestinian youth”.

The youth forum's delegation decorated the tree with its coloured ornaments. From her side, the youth activist and member of the Youth Forum for Tolerance, Amani Rabah, thanked the church's representatives for their receiving the delegation and their warm welcome, noting that the Palestinian people are one people and that there is nothing that divides the Palestinian people on the basis of religion.

This youth initiative met the satisfaction of the trustees of the Arab Orthodox church in Gaza and its representatives, as they received the youth delegation with a distinguished scout parade by the group of the Arab Orthodox Scouts in Gaza and its leader Majed Tarazi, as an expression from them of their happiness and an affirmation from them of the spirit of religious tolerance in Palestinian society, and the children presented sweets to the visiting delegation.