The Democratic and Republican parties differed on everything except the absolute and unlimited support for the Zionist entity, the Grand Imam 

 

Religious extremism has reached its peak with Israeli officials invoking religious texts that glorify aggression and urge its continuation, Jeffrey Sachs

 

Al-Azhar  Grand Imam (GI), Prof. Ahmad al-Tayyeb said that one of the most prominent contemporary global challenges is how to convey the voice of religious scholars, philosophers and wise men to global decision-makers who are toying with humanity and leading the world towards more killing, violence, hatred and chaos, and who are toying with the lives of innocent children, women and men. His Eminence stated, “I am surprised that there is no state or global power that can stand up to the evil Zionist plans that aim to kill the Palestinians, expand the scope of conflicts and transform the region, and even the entire world, into a burning hotbed of wars and conflicts.”

 

During his reception of Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, Professor at Columbia University and President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, the Grand Imam expressed his surprise that the Democratic and Republican parties in the United States disagree about almost everything except one thing, which is the absolute and unlimited support for the Zionist entity, and the commitment to stand behind it in defending itself, falsely and mendaciously. He stressed that he can only explain this by the existence of undeclared American-Israeli interests, adding, “I feel that the Zionist entity has devoted all its efforts to appoint an American president who is loyal to Israel, and allows it to do whatever it wants without humanitarian restrictions or moral deterrence.”

 

Professor Sachs, for his part, stressed that fair and wise voices from philosophers, religious scholars, Arab and Islamic organizations must unite and stand side by side in the face of the United States and demand that it stop exporting weapons to Israel, stop using the veto right against the immediate cessation of aggression on Gaza, and put an end to the unlimited support provided by the US administration to Israel. He pointed out that the position of the US administration does not represent the American people, but rather is completely contradictory to them; the American people have a correct point of view and want to stop the aggression, but the problem lies with the political leaders.

 

Sachs stressed that religious extremism has reached its peak in Israel, by placing an aura of sanctity around the aggression and demanding the necessity of its continuation, by highlighting religious texts that call for invasion, destruction, and the killing of innocent women, children, and men. He stressed that the political leadership in the Zionist entity does not want peace, does not think of any peaceful solutions, and does not respect international resolutions that stipulate the rights of the Palestinians to establish their independent state, and the settlers do not believe anything except what is presented to them by the Zionist media that depicts what the Zionist officials are doing as right and correct. He stated, “The crisis does not lie in Israel, Israel cannot continue the aggression for a single day without the support of the United States, and if the United States ordered it to stop, it would stop, but we do not have an American president who truly wants this entity to stop, unlike what we did in the past.”

 

Prof. Sachs suggested holding a meeting that would include a number of philosophers and religious leaders, with the participation of representatives from Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, to think about peaceful solutions that can be implemented on the ground on how to stop conflicts in the Middle East, and to issue a joint statement followed by a global summit to formulate a global vision in this regard. The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar welcomed this proposal, stressing Al-Azhar’s readiness to provide all forms of support to ensure that it comes out in the best possible way.