Church and political leaders
express concern over Israel’s West Bank annexation plans
 |
| Palestinian protesters march with signs in protest against Israel's annexation plans (AFP) |
As Palestinians hold protests in the West Bank city of
Jericho, Catholic and Protestant leaders in Jerusalem express concern about
Israel’s plans to annex portions of the occupied West Bank.
By Vatican News
Palestinian authorities are calling for peaceful resistance,
amid Israel’s planned annexation of portions of the occupied West Bank.
Senior Fatah official, Jibril Rajoub, during a press
conference in Ramallah on Sunday, said that peaceful resistance “is important
to ensuring international support for Palestinian efforts to thwart the planned
annexation.” He added, “we do not believe in a transition to the ‘bloody
square’ as we do not believe it serves our cause at this moment.”
At the same time, Rajoub warned that in the event that
Israel applies sovereignty, those conditions might change. “We will not raise a
white flag,” he said.
Rajoub also announced that protests against the annexation
bid will take place on Monday, beginning from Jericho.
The annexation move, which the Israeli government says could
begin as early as 1 July, has set off confrontations between Jerusalem and the
Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority (PA). Several other religious and
political authorities have also expressed their concern about the proposed
move.
Rajoub’s protest call comes amid wide-ranging lockdowns
imposed to combat the Covid-19 pandemic in the West Bank.
Church leaders express concern
In a recent statement, the Catholic Patriarch Emeritus of
Jerusalem, Michel Sabbah, Anglican Bishop Emeritus Riah Abu El Assal, and
Lutheran Bishop Emeritus Munib A. Younan voiced their concern about the status
of the Holy Land amid this situation.
“The Holy Land is in fire, in a situation of war, and needs
to be restored to its holiness," they said. "It is full of human
sufferings, because justice is absent. The land of God calls on all churches,
governments, and people of good will, to act and put an end to this tragedy.
All believers are responsible."
“We write this appeal as Arab Palestinian Christians, who
have lived here since Pentecost, and form an integral part of our society”, the
statement read.
Call to peace and reconciliation
The Catholic and Protestant Bishops recalled that “God was
in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, and He has entrusted us with the
ministry of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:18)." In this spirit, they
continued, "we write and ask you to share in the mission of peace-making
and reconciliation, restoring holiness to the Land of the Holy One, the Holy
Land.”
The Bishops also called for reconciliation “based on equal
dignity and rights of all people, no more one people against the other, no more
one people oppressing the other." They also emphasized that the Covid-19
pandemic has diverted attention from problems of justice and peace to questions
of life and death.
Jerusalem
Bishops Sabbal, El Assal and Younan point out that
“Jerusalem is Key to this peace, not only between Israelis and Palestinians,
but also uniting adherents of the three monotheistic faiths: Judaism,
Christianity and Islam.”
“Help Jerusalem become the center of reconciliation, justice
and equality. When peace comes to Jerusalem, God-willing, peace will come to
the whole world,” they appealed.
UN resolutions
The Bishops noted that “the solution to this conflict was
identified many years ago and expressed through numerous UN resolutions."
They also highlighted that “the majority of nations already recognize both the
State of Israel and the State of Palestine.”
They called on Israel to defuse the tension and comply with
UN Resolutions, pointing out that “the Israeli military occupation and
colonization of Palestine is the root cause of the on-going conflict.”
“Our call is simply this, please implement what was already
recognized. Help Israel have its security. Help Palestine have its
independence. Help both states to live side by side in peace, justice, equity
and democracy. Let there be no more hatred, no more death, but only justice,
equality and life,” appealed Sabbal, El Assal and Younan.
Concluding the statement, the Church leaders appealed that
it is time to act to “extinguish the destructive fires raging in the Holy land,
adding that “only a just peace will put end to hatred, to oppression, and the
suffering.”
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét