Abbas: Christmas is a national holiday

Official PA TV News, on PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas receiving a delegation of church leaders in Ramallah

PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas: “Christmas is a national-religious holiday and not just a religious one. For all of us Palestinians, this holiday is ours. Therefore we all celebrate it. The Palestinian leadership is going to church to be present for [Christmas] Mass on [December] 24, [January] 7, or 17 (dates of Midnight Mass in different Christian denominations –Ed.). Just as we are present at Eid Al-Adha [Muslim holiday, “the Sacrifice Feast”) and Eid Al-Fitr [Muslim holiday, end of Ramadan], we are present at Christmas. It is our obligation to do this, because it – as I told you – is a religious holiday for our [Christian] people, and you are our people, and it is [also] a national holiday for us all. Welcome and happy holiday.”