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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Jerusalem's marathon, slated by mufti, to go ahead |
| 2011-03-26 |
| [Arab News] Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barakat announced that the International Jerusalem Marathon scheduled for Friday will proceed according to plan despite the recent bombing attack. The race begins at 10 a.m., and over 10,000 people are expected to race on four routes -- a full marathon (42.2 km), a half marathon (21.1 km), a 10-km race, and a 4.2-km race for families. Barakat told Israeli Radio that the race was "our firm answer to terrorist murderers. We will not stop running. Jerusalem has not and will not stop moving forward, and despite the attack we are returning to our normal activities quickly." The report said that the police throughout Israel were moved to Level 3 operational activity, the highest level of alert, after the bombing attack. On Wednesday, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and Paleostine Sheikh Mohammed Hussein denounced the International Jerusalem Marathon. Hussein said in a press statement that marathon is part of "Israel's efforts to Judaize the city." He added that Israel "uses sports as a political tool to impose its vision on the Arab neighborhoods of the city." The mufti also said that the Jerusalem municipality "uses the religious and historic sites of Islam and Christianity in the city as propaganda for the marathon." Hussein said that the "the path of the marathon is due to run through parts of East Jerusalem that are considered occupied territory by the international community." According to the mufti, the route of the marathon starts at the Israeli Knesset in West Jerusalem and takes runners all the way out to settlement of Pisgat Ze'ev, before circling Hebrew University, entering the Jerusalem's Old City at the Bab Al-Nabi Dawoud (Zion Gate), wending its way through the hills of Rehavia and Talpiyot settlements to the promenade, and finally doubling back to the Knesset. |
| Posted by:Fred |