Damascus, SANA_ A massive rally was held Friday in Damascus starting from al-Hamidiyeh market to the Umayyad Mosque marking the 38th anniversary of International al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day.

The participants in the event stressed the need to unite the energies of the nation against the Israeli occupation and the United States, pointing out that there is no alternative to the liberation of Palestine, the restoration of all holy sites and the return of refugees to their homes.

The participants issued a statement in which they affirmed that their participation aims at mobilizing and directing the energies of the nation towards Jerusalem and al-Aqsa Mosque, reiterating that the Palestinian cause is the central issue and that Palestine is the heart of the nation and Jerusalem is its eternal capital.

They warned of all the settlement projects being promoted in the region because such projects “aim at eliminating the Palestinian cause, fragmenting the countries that support it and creating an environment conducive to make the Zionist entity a friend and ally of some Arab and Islamic countries.

The participants also paid tribute to the heroic captives in the Israeli occupation prisons and their legitimate resistance by all means, stressing full support for their rights until they are freed from the grip of the occupation. They also saluted the heroes of Palestinian Intifada.

The International al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day is an annual event held on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan. The event was first initiated by the Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979 to express solidarity with the Palestinian people in the face of the Zionist Israeli entity and its control of Jerusalem.

Manar/Ghossoun