News, articles and documents from
the Holy Land
Issue No. 139 - Saturday, 23 March 2002
Dear Friends, Brothers and Sisters,
Tomorrow we will
celebrate the Palm Sunday which the beginning of the Holy Week. The Patriarch
will preside the morning pontifical Mass at the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher
which will be followed with the procession around the tomb of Jesus. The mass
begins very early at 6.30. Afternoon he will lead the traditional procession
from Beitfage to Jerusalem with other bishops, this year we are honored to have
with us the Archbishop of Canterbury Rev. Dr. George Carey who will take part
in the procession and will deliver the homily at the end in the square of St
Anne’s Church. This event is unique because normally this is a Catholic
procession, but since some years the Anglican bishop and the Lutheran Bishop
and sometimes the Syrian and the Armenian bishop take part in it, and since the
Archbishop is actually in the country he was invited by our Patriarch. Normally
around 15 to 20 thousand people take part in this procession, but this year we
don’t expect more than 5000 due to the current situation, the absence of
pilgrims, the fear of some of our communities to come from inside Israel and especially
that Christians from the neighboring towns and villages are forbidden to enter
Jerusalem and permits are not given easily.
At the end of
the procession a group of around 25 young people from Italy will hand to the
Patriarch the lamb of light they brought with them from Rome given by the Pope
himself. This group arrived yesterday in a solidarity visit to the Holy Land
and they represent all the Italian Church. They visited today Ramallah, saw the
destruction in the city and the surrounding refugee camps, They met a group of
young people from our parish and met also President Arafat and gave him a lamb
of light also. Tomorrow morning the will go to Bethlehem and celebrate mass
with the Parish at the nativity Church and they will give another Lamb of
Light. It seems that they brought with them 8 Lambs and will be given to Palestinians
and Israelis, Christians Moslems and Jews. I like this idea, the light returns
back from Rome to Jerusalem, while the initial light of the resurrection went
out from Jerusalem to Rome and to the whole world… We are really in a deep need
of more light in the darkness of these days.
After tomorrow
will begin the “Fast for Peace” nearby Bethlehem checkpoint, we are preparing
for that and we hope that this will bring about good fruits and will attract
the attention of the media. These people, Israelis and Palestinians will use
this nonviolent pacific way in order to convey a message of peace to their governments
and to the world: to stop all forms of violence, to go back to the negotiation
table, to implement the Mitchell plan, to reach a solution to this conflict on
the basis of the international legitimacy. (For more information, read the
following report published by Fides).
You will find in
today’s Olive Branch several documents and articles:
1) The news about Youth
Taking a Papal Message of Peace to Holy Land, will Participate in Palm Sunday
Procession in Jerusalem.
2) The report of Fides about Palestinians,
Israelis, Christians, Jews and Muslims fast for peace.
3) A unique Palestinian Via Dolorosa
Meditation written by WI’AM Center in Bethlehem. I have developed this idea in
my Sunday article in Al-Quds Arabic newspaper adding the 15th station
about the Resurrection which is for us as Palestinians the Freedom and the
Independence.
4) You can read this same idea in my article
“The Indivisible Paschal Trinity” which is a Palestinian Christian reading of
Easter.
5) Dr. Maria Khoury is writing about “The
High Price of Christian Roots”.
6) For this reason also AN ISRAELI PUT ON
TRIAL AFTER HE ENTERED BETHLEHEM, CONTRAVENING AN ORDER. A very short interesting
and incredible story of Yohanan Katz who called me in order to ask for help in
this case.
7) Finally, our friend Ghassan Andoni
from rapprochement Center answers this question that you might also ask: “Can a
ceasefire be achieved?”
We
will join efforts during this Holy Week which will lead to our Christian Easter
and to the Jewish Pesah (Passover) in order really to pass from death
and destruction to life and construction of a better future for our both
peoples in this Holy Land.
From
the Holy City of Peace, Jerusalem, I greet you all. Fr.
Raed Abusahlia
Youth
Taking a Papal Message of Peace to Holy Land
Will Participate in Palm Sunday Procession in Jerusalem
ROME, MARCH 21,
2002 (Zenit.org).- A group of Italian youth
who met today with John Paul II in St. Peter's Square is being sent to the Holy
Land with a message of peace.
"We will take the message of Assisi to the leaders of Israel and the
Palestinian Authority, represented by the peace lamps," Father Giuseppe
Pellegrini of the Italian Office for Missionary Cooperation Among Churches told
the Italian newspaper Avvenire. "It
is the gift of peace we will pray for, which we hope to take to the parties in
conflict."
The Italian youth were asked to go to the Holy Land with the message of peace
by John Paul II himself.
"We intend to reaffirm that the two nations must overcome the logic of
terrorism and arms and enter that of coexistence and mutual acceptance".
Father Pellegrini added.
Father Pellegrini and Father Giacomo Ruggeri, of the National Service for Youth
Pastoral Care, will leave Friday with a group of 25 people, who come from
various dioceses, associations, groups and ecclesial movements.
"To be in the Holy Land at this critical time means above all to witness
to shared faith in Christ Jesus with Christians, in a minority, present in the
holy places," Father Ruggeri said.
The young Italian pilgrims will engage in real "dialogue with the
Palestinian and Israeli authorities to express to them the commitment of the Church
to peace and fraternity, founded on the word of Jesus: 'Blessed are the
peacemakers,'" the priest said. "Lastly, they will visit some
realities that give signs that are contrary to the atmosphere of war."
The delegation will meet next Saturday with the community of Ramallah, and will
visit a refugee camp and meet with a local parish youth group.
On Palm Sunday, the delegation will meet with youth in Bethlehem and will take
part in the afternoon in a Palm Sunday procession led by Latin Patriarch Michel
Sabbah.
On March 26, before returning to Italy, the youths will meet with the ecclesial
community of Nazareth, in the presence of Bishop Giacinto Boulos Marcuzzo.
"We wish to express our solidarity and closeness to the Christian
communities we will meet, especially the youth," the organizers said in a
statement. "We are well aware that Christians, especially young people,
are obliged to leave the Holy Land for reasons of work."
"Our presence is an expression of solidarity and hope, appealing to our
Western Christian communities to banish fear and resume pilgrimages to the land
of Jesus," they concluded.
Palestinians,
Israelis, Christians, Jews and Muslims fast for peace
Jerusalem (Fides) – Take immediate steps to end violence and restore security cooperation, rebuild reciprocal confidence, return immediately and unconditionally to meaningful negotiations. A call has been made on all those who advocate peace in the Middle East, Palestinians, Israelis, people all over the world to support a Fast for Peace beginning on March 25 until the goal is reached, to convince the Israeli and Palestinian governments to stop all forms of violence from both sides, to return back to the negotiation table and implement the Mitchell Plan.
The initiative begins with the spring holidays of Easter and Passover, and at a time when there is pressure from the United States and the European Union to resolve the conflict. It will take place at the Bethlehem check-point between Bethlehem and Jerusalem and wants to be a demonstration of unity being organised by a group of Jews, Muslims and Christians.
The Fast for Peace has been planned by Prof. Sami Adwan of Bethlehem University; Father Raed Abusahlia, chancellor of the Latin Patriarch Jerusalem; US born Linda Livni, a writer from Jerusalem. Other organizers are Prof. Dan Bar-On, Ben Gurion University; Dr. Philip Veerman, Defense for Children Israel; Samil Taha, Palestinian businessman and Prof. Avraham Sela of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
In a message welcoming world wide adhesion, the organizers say "we believe that until this conflict is resolved none of us are free. The Fast for Peace is our method of demonstrating our desire to change direction, to return to the promise of peace and bring a speedy end to our suffering". They conclude by saying "Let our message be clear: we are starving for peace". "We are happy to see the recent proliferation of peace activities as these are the voices of peace which we hope will continue to grow until the melody echoes throughout the world."
Meanwhile the Israeli peace movement Peace Now, after carrying out an
investigation, says that since the election of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in
February 2001, in the West Bank 34 new areas for Jewish settlements have been
identified. (Fides 22/3/2002)
A Palestinian Via Dolorosa Meditation
Written by WI’AM Center
in Bethlehem
The figure of Virgin Mary is a symbol target of terrorism.
Virgin Mary in Bethlehem Holy Family Hospital was exposed to
assassination on Thursday 14.3.2002 by the Israeli occupation forces. It
received a lot of shelling. It shows blind hatred, racism and terrorism. The
damages of the shelling to the French Hospital from Israeli tanks and sniper
fire are estimated 25,000$. In all, seven hospitals were shot at.
As we struggle to gain basic rights, freedom, and recognition, we liken
ourselves to the 14 Stations of the Cross. Via Dolorsa in the Old City of
Jerusalem represents our daily week of suffering; pain and torture.
1. The Palestinians are condemned!
We are labeled as fundamentalist and terrorist. These prefixes are used to
condemn and distort our image.
2. We are taking the heaviest Cross.
The Palestinians are called to walk in the footsteps of the humble cross-
bearing Christ. Each and every one of us has his / her daily cross to bear to
be worthy to share our saviour's glory!!
3. The first attack.
1948 was the first catastrophe. Automatically we have become the victims of
the victims of the Holocaust. We are the indirect victims of the holocaust; 483
villages were leveled and 726000
Palestinians became refugees. The total value losses of destroyed or
confiscated property are estimated at US $209 billion.
4. Our people sought refuge in the Arab Land and everywhere.
50 % of Palestinian refugees in Diaspora are not registered with UNRWA; 3.8
million refugees were registered with UNRWA. There are 3,874,738 refugees in 59
refugee camps. 50000 Palestinians overstayed their permits while abroad and are
not allowed by Israel to return!
5. Lebanon helps to carry our cross/ Iraqi children weep with us!
Love of God and of neighbor marks the true disciple of humanity. Lebanon
was a very close neighbor who by design or default carries with us part of the
cross. In spite of the wars against the Iraqi people, our tears have been wiped
by Iraq to confront our sorrow, which has raised the spirit of the bereaved
families.
6. International NGOs and Church Related Organizations Sponge us with
Vinegar.
International NGOs and Church Related Organizations mitigate our burden
through its prophetic voices and actions.
7. The Second attack!
1967 was the second catastrophe! 300,000 Palestinian were displaced and
again became refugees, 3 villages were leveled.
8. The Palestinians speak to the World through the UN.
In an attempt to
raise the awareness of the world to the Palestinian issue, YASSER Arafat
addressed the UNITED NATIONS in 1974 asking them to implement UN resolutions
and not to let the olive branch fall off our hand!!
9. The Third attack.
The Israeli invasion to Lebanon and Sabra & Shatela Massacre in 1982
was an attempt of the Israeli government to liquidate our cause.
10. We are stripped of our cloth!
Our land has
been taken, our water has been usurped, and our holy places have been
desecrated.
11. We are nailed to the Cross
We have been nailed to the Cross many times lately in the Al Aqsa
Intifada. Figures talk louder than words!! There have been 1162 deaths
including 103 assassinations. 84.5% of those deaths have
been civilian. 20,000 Palestinians have been injured with 35.7% of the
injured children. Also, there have been 3 physicians killed, 1 PRCS
driver killed, 116 PRCS Emergency Medical technicians injured, and 60 PRSC
ambulances hit by live ammunition. 1000 Palestinians were detained from inside
the Green line, 1850 Palestinian detained from Jerusalem, GS, and WB and 900
are still in prison.
12. The Palestinian people are dying on the Cross!
The West Bank is divided into 120 clusters and Gaza Strip into 3
reservations. 120 Israeli checkpoints in WB and GS divide us into 220
separate reservations. 580 houses were demolished completely and 6534 houses
have been destroyed partially. 400 buildings, 30 mosques and 12 churches have
received extensive damage.
13. Palestinians are taken from the Cross-to hide the Israeli Crimes.
In an attempt to
silence our voice, the Israeli occupation imposes sanction and siege on our
people. Total income losses to Palestinian economy: $2.4-3.2 billion daily;
domestic losses: $6.0-8.6; total wage income loss on daily level $59.4
million; unemployment: Gaza: 48%; WB: 31.51%. In addition, 46% of
Palestinians live in poverty for less than $2 a day. 69% of the
Palestinian firms have shut down or are reduced. There has been a 51% drop in
GNP. Israel prevents125, 000 Palestinians from going to work.
14. We are laid in the Tomb!!
Sharon thought he would bury our cause! He shut down 6 schools, a further
66 schools and 10 universities were disrupted. Bethlehem University was shelled
several times.142 schools were shelled and fired at 29 schools raided, 132
students killed, 2390 injured, 1145 school days so far have been
lost because of the Israeli attacks! All UN Security Council and General
Assembly resolutions have been
ignored.
Sharon wants to bring us to our knees; I hope his war will bring his
government to its senses and not delaying the inevitable/ Palestinian State
side by side with Israel.
WE ARE CERTAIN THAT THE SPIKES OF THE CROSS-WILL BE TURNED INTO SPIKES
OF WHEAT AND WE MAY HAVE BECOME LIKE THE PHOENIX AND RISE FROM THE ASHES.
The Indivisible Paschal
Trinity
A Palestinian Christian
reading of Easter
By Father Raed Awad Abusahlia
Christians celebrate Easter (Passover) i.e. Resurrection.
Passover (Pesach) is a Hebrew word meaning to cross over from … to: from
slavery to freedom; from oppression to justice; from obscurity to light; from
night to day; from death to life; from the darkness of the tomb to the dawn of
resurrection. This is what happened to the Jewish people who left the land of
Egypt, the land of slavery, to the Promised Land, the land of freedom; and this
is what happened to Christ who conquered death with life, from Good Friday to
the dawn of the Glorious Resurrection.
This dual dimension, yet, harbours another, making it
triple, or even better, a trinity: which formulates a single indivisible unity.
This trinity could be summarized in three words: pain – death – resurrection.
It means that Christ had to go through all types of psychological and corporeal
pains, which he had experienced through agony, treason, imprisonment, judgment,
flogging, slapping, spitting, wearing a crown of thorn, carrying a cross,
stripping, thirst, vinegar to quench it, nailed hands and feet and finally a
side pierced by a spear from which blood and water oozed. He loved us to the
ultimate breath and the last drop of blood and even died for us on the cross.
Fortunately, the last word in the equation was not for death but for life, not
for internment but for resurrection. These odious pains experienced by the Lord
would have been a meaningless and a momentous punishment for him were they to
culminate in death only … They are the inevitable path to life, resurrection
and light with which the indivisible trinity is completed to become a glorious
trinity rather than a tragic one.
This trinity seems to be a part of the norms of both life
and nature: If a wheat grain does not die in the soil it will not multiply, but
as it rots in the soil’s humidity it rises again to produce a stem, leaves and
a wheat corn that would contain thirty, sixty or one hundred grains as the poet
Mahmoud Darwish proclaims: “A wheat corn that dies will render the valley
replete with wheat corns.” Similarly, a pregnant woman has to go through
pregnancy and labour pains to give life to its foetus, but no sooner she is
happy again and forgets her pain because a human being has been born and his
eyes has seen light. Let us draw
our lesson from mother nature: It is inevitable to have autumn where tree
leaves fall to be succeeded by winter where extreme cold weather sets in so as
to attain spring’s beautiful greenery, with fruit abundance and appealing
flowers. Dawn sets, as well, only
after the darkness of night; the crescent and full moon appear in the middle of
the sky only after an absence of several long days and nights; the stars shine
brightly only when darkness is complete.
Finally, if the sun sets that does not mean it does not exist but it is
somewhere else and will soon rise to bring about a new bright dawn.
The above equation could be applied to our Palestinian
lexicon. We shall find three similar words that would form an indivisible
trinity: Struggle – martyrdom – liberty.
It is as though our nation is destined to pay the price of struggle with
all its accompaniments of pain, sorrow, forced immigration, dispersal, home
demolition and destruction, imprisonment and arrest, tears and sighs, hunger
and deprivation, perturbation and worries, hopes and pains which often lead to
death and martyrdom if one wants to obtain his freedom, independence and
inalienable rights. We certainly are on the same way of the cross as that of
Christ and we are now on top of the Golgotha or, perhaps, on top of the cross
and we are often killed and buried but we do not despair, yet, we continue to
wager on hope and remain confident that this path which takes us to the grave
is the only road that would lead us to resurrection. In as far as we are
concerned this is part of the historical determinisms: the final word could not
be for oppression, occupation, settlement, imprisonment and arrest but for
freedom and life. If someday the nation wills life, fate will accede and night
will recede and shackles will shatter.
However, the big question remains to be: until when do we
remain on the cross? Or even in the depth of the earth? The answer is that we
have two choices only and no more: we either have to carry our cross
audaciously and bravely and embrace it with love and sacrifice and die with
pride on its top or to reject it with fear and flee it cowardly and tug
fiercely at it until it falls on top of us and crush us in defeat. I have
provided you with a choice, so you have either to choose between death in my
grave and resurrection, or live in disgrace and humiliation. The morrow is
close at hand.
This is the good news of Resurrection for us.
The
High Price of Christian Roots
By Dr. Maria C. Khoury
Nine terrorized
school children under sixteen years of age lined up like criminals right
outside our white van on a regular school day. The machine gun is pointing at
them and the heavily armed soldier maintains his finger on the trigger while I
hand over their passports to pass this fourth and final checkpoint before
entering our Christian Village of Taybeh on the West Bank of the Jordan River.
Never in my twenty years of traveling in and out of this region have I seen the
soldiers so frightened and so intense as this current time in the Holy Land. In
the back of my mind I was thinking this soldier has absolutely no common sense
whatsoever or the violence has scared him so much it has stolen his logic and
his common sense from him to treat a mother and children in this dehumanizing
way.
I hated to see my three children and my nieces get out of the car and line up
one next to the other, shoulder to shoulder like a police line up only three
minutes away from our home. We were so close after such a long and hard school
day why can’t we pass? In the beginning I tried to argue with the soldier, “are
you kidding, why do you want the children to get out of the car?” But my
children immediately said: “Mom, we are used to this, can you please not argue,
he has a gun.” The youngest one was shaking so badly she could hardly get out
of the van. If this type of harsh and cruel treatment continues with civilians
in the Holy Land it should not surprise the world we produce “terrorists.” We
are being denied our very basic rights to move and to just go to school. Why
does America’s position for Arafat get stuck at “stop the violence.” The
American policy falls short of addressing the root causes of that violence:
denial of Palestinian freedom.
We are so grateful the tanks went outside the center of Ramallah. People
are feeling it is a blessing not to be prisoners in their own homes. But
can’t they take their soldiers, armored jeeps and their checkpoints with them
and leave the occupied Palestinian territories for once and for all. The
ways the Palestinian towns and villages are cut off from each other are
physically and psychologically strangling us. Many tanks are parked at the
outskirts of Ramallah ready to reoccupy the city at any moment. That military
presence is what is so nerve wrecking. The weapons and the money the
United States sends Israel are not only being used for Israel’s security but to
totally destroy and ethnically clean the Holy Land. The American military aid
is being used to deny over three million people their human rights and to carry
out a collective punishment of the worst type to the point where children
cannot even go to school.
Every single day is a new way to school. Every minute the situation changes in
our lives. Sometimes we drive such a long way to get back home after a
long and tiring school day just to find a military tank blocking the entrance
to an important road that we need. We have to just turn around and drive the
same way back seeking some other dirt road or valley way to make it home. I
have totally destroyed all the vehicles that I own because the Israelis have
closed the main roads for Palestinians since September 28,
2000. The back roads are full of rocks, holes and terrible bombs that
ruin the bottom of the car. Thus, although the ride from home to school can
take a ten to fifteen minutes ride during peaceful times it has taken up to
four hours during the worst violence.
The situation can only improve if Israel ends the 35-year-old Israeli
occupation of Palestinian territories. It is not possible to have peace
and occupation at the same time. The Palestinian Authority recognized Israel on
78% of historic Palestine. It is Israel that refuses to acknowledge Palestine’s
right to exist on the remaining 22% of land occupied in l967. The constant
enlargement of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza will
continue to be an obstacle to peace. There are about 250,000 settlers on
Palestinian territories and they require the protection of the army that
constantly flares up the violence. The reason I can get home every day
from an Arab city to an Arab village is because the Israelis built
the biggest settlement on the West Bank right next to our home. This fact alone
causes more and more young people to turn into suicide bombers because the Oslo
peace process stayed frozen for so many years and the Palestinians did not see
a difference in their daily lives. It is clearly not just and not appropriate
for Palestinians to be treated like last class citizens on the land of their
birth. It is clearly wrong for the Israeli army to force us to leave our homes
and immigrate because they continue to humiliate, degrade and demoralize us
daily. Many people are willing to live under Israeli hardships not to leave
their land and not to abandon their roots. However, we do have to pay a very
high price to maintain our Christian roots.
Here in the Holy Land we have entered the first week of the Orthodox Lenten
Period. We open our hearts to Christ to fill us with his love and everlasting
hope so that we will not be forced to leave the land of His
birth but stay and bare witness in the Name of our Lord. Christians, Muslims
and Jews can live and prosper together because there are enough of us that are
not fanatics and just want to raise a generation of children knowing their
valuable traditions and roots. Many of us on all sides want the hate and the
violence to just stop. Pray that peace will prevail in this sacred land and
make your voices heard in appropriate forums urging the immediate withdrawal of
all forms of Israeli military presence from the
Palestinian territories. And knowing our story, glorify God for all the
blessings that you have in your life and seek joy in the presence of the Lord.
AN ISRAELI PUT ON TRIAL
AFTER HE ENTERED BETHLEHEM,
CONTRAVENING AN ORDER
2002By Joseph Algazi - HaAretz, 7.2.
Yohanan Katz, an Israeli Christian from Rishon LeZiyyon, who entered Bethlehem in March 2001, was put on trial for entering a closed area, in opposition to the order of the Commander in Chief of the Central Command, which forbids Israelis from entering areas that are under full Palestinian control. His trial, which was supposed to begin yesterday in the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court, has been postponed to April. Katz and his lawyer, Attorney Yossi Schwartz, have appealed to the Government Legal Advisor and to the State Prosecutor, asking to delay the proceedings.
Katz, 30 years old, entered Bethlehem on March 22 to meet his spiritual director, Brother Jean-Manuel. According to his testimony, Katz entered Bethlehem on foot during the day, through the army checkpoint without being stopped.
After not having met the Brother, Katz reserved a room in the Star Hotel in the city. The manager of the hotel, who identified Katz as an Israeli by his passport, called the officer in charge of the Palestinian Coordination and Communication Office, who handed Katz over to Israel. During interrogation, he said that he had not been aware of the order of the General of the Central Command, but thought that the IDF simply recommended not to enter the territories. In the past, Katz had participated in the Christmas mass in the city, having entered then on showing a letter of request from the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.
In his appeal to the Legal Advisor, Attorney Yossi Schwartz, from the Catholic Center for Human Rights, claimed that the order of the Commander in Chief “does not take into account the freedom of worship of the Christian community connected to the Vatican”.
Can
a ceasefire be achieved?
Written
by: Ghassan Andoni
Beyond the
complexity of the situation and the negotiated documents (Tent and Mitchell)
there are simple and clear issues for both sides to look at.
Both documents
were agreed upon before the Israeli government moved harshly and destroyed the
PA infrastructure. Evidently what was possible then might not be possible now.
The most
important absent participants in those talks are the ones who run the fight
from the Palestinian side and the ones who are pushing for an open war on the
Israeli side. Their influence is far bigger than many expect.
A realistic
approach can be “to establish a ceasefire through an internal agreement between
the PA and the different militant groups on the Palestinian side” and provide
more time for pre-emptive steps to insure that the crisis will not erupt again.
I believe that within this context a ceasefire is in reach.
An immediate
left of the closure is not only necessary but as well a crucial factor for
success. I think all are convinced that besides being an act of collective
punishment that fuels the conflict even more the closure serve no security
purpose. Even the most tightened, non-breathing ones could not prevent attacks
inside Israel and will not be able to in the future.
While it is
almost impossible to find a common ground between Arafat and Sharon to start a
meaningful negotiations process, a third party suggested political solution or
at least a clear framework would be extremely helpful. It is important for both
parties to realize that behind such an initiative there is a great and
persisting interest and efforts from the side of the USA and the international
community. Prince Abdullah initiative can be a good start if supported and
advanced by the United States.
Without a
political horizon either it will be impossible to reach a ceasefire agreement
or will be impossible to sustain it.
A crucial factor
for success is in the level of proper communication. Israel and partially the
United States have to change the language used with and the attitudes towards
the Palestinian leadership. Imprisoning, issuing ultimatums, blackmailing, and
humiliating are only leading towards more mistrust and frustration. When the PA
is needed as a partner no one should work rigorously to discredit it both
locally and internationally.
It is almost
evident that the next step if those attempts fail will be the total
re-occupation of the Palestinian areas. If this to happen then not only the
area but as well the whole region will be set in flames. According to the
Israeli defense Minster: re-occupying the PA areas will result in a much higher
scale of violence than encountered so far.
It is evident
that desire for revenge, whither presented as a deterrence factor or as a
battlefield requirement, is one of the important motives behind the existing
escalation of violence. It is important to realize that while Israel has the
ability to impose a high level of discipline on the way it acts or reacts,
Palestinians with the many groups engaged are less capable. So a necessary step
to bring about a ceasefire is for Israel to exercise a high level of
self-restrain.
===================================================
The Palestinian Centre for Rapprochement between People
64 Star Street, P.O.Box 24
Beit Sahour - Palestine
www.rapprochement.org
|
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Thank you for your understanding & with best wishes from
Jerusalem Fr. Raed Abusahlia |