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Dear
Friends, Brothers and Sisters,
It
seems that a lot of efforts are in its way in order to reach an end to the
current-situation and go back to the table of negotiation... These efforts are
great because everybody feels the need to put an end to the escalation from
both sides since they are tired and want a solution. But, I am afraid that
this will not lead to discuss the core of the conflict which the Israeli
occupation as a whole, not only the problem of the actual violence or the
freezing of the settlements. They should touch all the issues as soon as
possible in a very short time because the way of the peace process since Oslo
until now proved its complete failure, because instead of dealing with all the
issues they wasted their time in details without any practical fruits on the
grounds, people wanted to see a difference on their daily lives. They should
resolve all the problems once for ever without delaying any subject or taking
the way of the step-after-step method.
Among
these efforts, and on the ecclesiastic level I would like to mention two
initiatives:
1)
The previous Apostolic Delegate Msgr Andrea di Montezemelo will arrive
tomorrow to the Holy Land as a special envoy of the Pope in order to meet the
Political Leaders from both Israeli and Palestinian side. We will give you
more details about this mission in the next Olive Branch, and maybe an
Interview with him. We hope that this will be a beginning of special efforts
from the Holy See towards helping both sides to advance the dialogue, which
should be restored as soon as possible.
2)
A fact-finding delegation from the Holy Land Christian
Ecumenical Foundation (HCEF) arrived yesterday from Washington and will
meet tomorrow our Patriarch HB Michel Sabbah and the other heads of Christian
churches in Jerusalem. For more details read their press release about this
visit that you find hereby.
You
will find also in today's Olive Branch the following important articles and
documents:
1) We often send you documents from Palestine/Israel,
but you know that our diocese extends over Jordan and Cyprus also. This time
we send you a brief presentation about Christianity in
Jordan which was prepared by my young colleague Fr. Rifa't Bader, parish
priest of the only totally Christian village in the southern desert of Jordan:
Smakieh.
2)
In his BETHLEHEM
DIARY (27), Toine van Teeffelen briefs us with all what happened during
the Nakba memory and the escalation after Natanya-Nablous events. I always
admire him and his style full of interesting details that we rarely notice.
3) Dr. Maria C. Khoury will bring to our attention the
Voice of Christian Students in Gaza. This will be very special because it
is not easy to live such a big prison like Gaza. The students will express
their feelings in a very simple and touching way. Please do hear their voices.
4) Joint Israeli-Palestinian Press
Conference in Jerusalem: joint statement: Gush Shalom, the Palestinian
Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy- MIFTAH, the
Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions and LAW held a joint Palestinian-Israeli
press conference on Monday, May 21st, 2001, at 10:00 at the American
Colony Hotel in east Jerusalem. We believe that such people are real prophets
who will prepare the way for a better future.
We still hope and we will never loose
hope Fr.
Raed Ahusahlia
Christianity in Jordan
Briefing
presented by Fr. Rifa't Bader
Jordan
Tourism Board, North America
Religious
press Familiarization Trip of Biblical Jordan
May
20-27,2001
Dear
Brothers and Sisters,
Just
days before the Pope's pilgrimage visit to the Holy Land, "Famiglia
Cristiana" had an interview with H. M. King Abdullah the 2d, and one of
the interesting questions was: What's the situation of Catholics in Jordan?
The reply was: 'The Catholics, and the Christians in general, form an
important part of our society and they are very respected. They participate in
all the political, economic and social aspects of the country, assume senior
positions and roles in the government and society at large, and play an active
role in parliament as both voters and members of parliament. They are free to
practice their faith and beliefs, without any obstacles from anyone, and
freely build their churches. Jordanian Christians have always received our
appreciation. This is one of the things we are proud of in Jordan: we feel
that the mutual respect and understanding among Christians and Muslims in
Jordan is a fine model for the world. Some years ago Pope Paul VI chose our
country to be the place for his historical meeting with the Patriarch
Athenagore because of the neutrality of Jordan." (FC n. II 19march
2000.),
"The
Catholic Church, without forgetting that its primary mission is a spiritual
one, is always eager to cooperate with individual nations and people of
goodwill in promoting the dignity of humankind. The church does this in
particular through its schools and education programs, and through charitable
and social institutions. Your noble tradition of respect for all religions
guarantees the religious freedom, which makes this, possible, and which is in
fact a fundamental human right. When this is so, all citizens feel themselves
equal, and each one, inspired by his own spiritual convictions, can contribute
to the building up of society as the shared home of all". (John Paul II
in Jordan, at the international Airport 20\3\2000).
Jordanian
Christian Identity:
Without
any doubt, Christ Himself passed through Jordan during his preaching and
teaching in the Decapolis (Jerash, Philadelphia, Gedara...). The first
Christian Community to flee Jerusalem during the first Jewish revolt found
refuge at Pella in the north Jordan Valley.
The
great patrimony of archeological and Biblical sites in Jordan is very strong
testimony to the Christian Identity here since the earliest days of
Christianity. In fact, the church in Jordan and Palestine is the
Mother-Church. Bishop Selim Sayegh, residing in Amman, has written a small
book about the Christian archeological sites in Jordan, noting that in every
step in this land you can find plenty of history. Many Bishops from Jordan
participated at the first Councils of the Church in the fourth to sixth
centuries AD, and inn many sites around the country you find inscribed the
words:
"This
people loves Christ". Despite the harsh persecutions of Christians during
the first 3 centuries (we have many martyrs in Jordan), the Church
subsequently prospered and expanded from the 4th to the 7th century. Then
following the Persian and the Arab Moslem conquests of the 7th century, the
Church was gradually weakened. The Christian community became smaller, and a
minority, and has remained so over the centuries, including today. The old
Arab Christian literature, though, is one of the jewels of Arab history and
culture:
Latin
Patriarchate:
Diocese
of Jerusalem. From the 5th century, dependent from Antioch with the Bishop of
Jerusalem Jovinalus, during the Clacedian Council. The crusaders designed a
Latin patriarch in 1099 till 1291.
Having been restored in 1847, Patriarch Valerga was the first one elected by
Pope Pie IX. The Actual Patriarch is the 8th, HB Michel Sabbah, is the first
Arab patriarch. 2 Vicariates are to be mentioned: in Amman and Nazareth. In
Amman since 1927. The local clergy has to pass by the Latin Seminary in Beit
Jala.
Actual
situation of Christians in Jordan:
Before
the 2d World War, estimated number is 25, 000 persons. From 455,000 (5%). In
the 1960s, 160,000 from 1.7 million (9%). But due to large numbers of refugees
arriving from Palestine, this number has decreased to less than 3% today, and
is not more than 180,000 persons.
The
Christians in Jordan are:
1)
Traditional, who follow the tribal, village, and Bedouin customs and popular
traditions.
2)
From an ecumenical viewpoint, every Christian follows his denomination. We
have a council of Bishops working in Jordan, but achieving full unity in the
Church remains a big challenge and hope.
3)
The Christian is a good citizen, and being an Arab Christian is not a weak
aspect of our lives. Our Arab landscape and society is our fate and also our
salvation. We are very conscious of the fact that we Christians in the Holy
Land continue the tradition of human morality, identity and faith that started
with the baptism, teachings, life, death and resurrection of Jesus, which
happened in our area. The Christian in Jordan is always a good citizen, very
faithful to his or her country, work, family, and society. -. always helpful.
In the parliament 8 of 80 deputies are Christians. Always we have one or two
ministers in the government and 2 in the economic consultative council... We
are deeply rooted in the ancient history of the land and in the modern
institutions of statehood and society. We are not looking for another space in
the world where we can live our faith; The Incarnation of the Lord is our
strategy to incarnate our faith in the society of today, in the Arab society
or the western one..
I
should mention some initiatives related to the Church's work in society
(hospitals, Caritas) in order to try to resolve the problem of unemployment
(16%) and poverty (27% persons = 65,000 families) but
the problem remains much bigger than our possibilities and modest means.
4)
The church in the world of culture:
Many
schools in Jordan and Palestine are run by the Catholic Church and other
churches (the Roman Catholic Patriarchate runs 43 schools with 19,000 students
of whom two-thirds are Christians). Our dream is greater than our
possibilities. The Patriarchate is always supported by the Knights and Ladies
(Order) of the Holy Sepulcher. Our families can't pay for all the expenses of
education. So the schools are PASTORAL and not at all COMMERCIAL, above all,
good catechism is always presented in these schools. We have many other
educational institutions for adults, and we still dream to have a Catholic
university in our country. Many writers and newspaper columnists (the most
read) are Christians.
5)
The mass media tools in the church and Christian information:
The
laymen and women are not able to promote such means within the church. The
church has 2 modest monthly magazines. No possibilities in the TV or radio
except for some personal initiatives from some determined priests, with some
other writers who affirm their Christian values. Our dream and hope here is to
open an official Christian information center, like the one in Jerusalem. We
are in great need of such a center of mass media and many priests are working
to open it, but we are still far from succeeding.
6)
Inter-religious dialogue:
Christian-Muslim
dialogue is well rooted in Jordan, and much more dynamic than in many other
Arab countries, in part because of the patronage of the royal family. Several
official institutions have been established for this purpose, such as the
Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies, the Aal Al- Bayt University focuses
on interfaith and cultural research. However, the dialogue is still largely at
the official and formal level, and has not yet reached the street level, where
some dogmatic and rigid views are in need of deeper dialogue in order to
eliminate misunderstandings or misperceptions. The good relationship between
neighbors (Christians and Moslems) is a distinctive and positive aspect of
Jordanian society.
7)
Toward a better future:
Fears:
Economic Hardship: is affecting everyone. Besides this common difficult
situation, the "minority" is sometimes feeling desperate. There is the danger of self-marginalisation, negligence of
the faith, fusion... that means forgetting the specific faith in order to have
a good place in society. Here we can talk about the remedy initiatives and
first of all it's the negative one in emigration which is not at all a result
of any act "of persecution". This is not at all present but because
of the degradation of material income for both families and individuals. It's
a danger for both Christian and Moslem, but because of the small number of
Christians the symptoms are worse for Christians. In fact, the phenomenon of
emigration has reduced the number of Christians in the Holy Land to a fraction
of what they were in years past. However, few of us share the opinion of some
pessimists who say that the Christian community of Palestine is disappearing.
The Holy Land still has a vibrant Christian Palestinian and Jordanian
community.
The
Christian Community in Palestine has reduced and most of them emigrated
outside, not always by their own chance, because of the bad and increasing
situation of violence. The Church, especially with HB Patriarch Michel Sabbah
who is always calling for an end to the circle of violence and He calls his
con-citizens, Christians and Muslims alike, to remain in their homeland where
they have their roots. Just a just peace can put the serenity in both people:
Palestinian and Israeli, (for more information about the role of the Local
Church in the situation in the Holy Land, please have a look on
http://go.to/nonviolence whose editor is Fr Raed Abusahlia, chancellor of the
Latin Patriarchate, Jerusalem, and pass it to your friends).
For
the first time, the believers from the Middle East living abroad are more than
those who are still in their countries. The greatest fear is that they may
forget any connection with their homeland.
Fr
Rafiq Khoury, a leading man of culture in the Patriarchate, is always talking
about “choices" for our Arab Christian communities. There are 4
principles to keep in mind:
1)
Choice of faith especially in the cross and Resurrection of Christ but also of
Christianity.
2)
Ecclesial Choice: to get involved in the Church's spiritual and pastoral life.
3)
Ecumenical Choice: to be Christians together in the face of many challenges.
4)
Social choice: to be involved in all the aspects of our society.
8)
Pastoral Plan:
After
the closure of the Diocesan Pastoral Synod (1995-2000), the resulting Pastoral
Plan is the Hope for our Christians to be always awakened and looking to a
better future. Being an Arab Christian remains a demanding life and a
challenge, almost a Via Dolorosa; but also it's the road toward salvation. We
are still the proud, direct sons of the first Christian community, and we will
always be faithful to this Mission, by being honest and trustworthy in our
society and in our church.
Conclusion:
The
Church of the Holy Land has a special vocation and mission (ref. Fr William
Shomali, general director of Finance Committee in the Latin Patriarchate, from
a Lecture in London for the
Knights
and Ladies of the Holy Sepulcher 2000).
1)
Our vocation is to remain,
despite our small numbers, in the Holy Land, where Jesus was baptized,
preached, redeemed humanity, and founded the Church.
2)
Our mission is to be witnesses
of Jesus Christ amidst a Moslem majority. This involves an important
interfaith dimension. We have many things in common with our Muslim
compatriots, including language, history, and destiny. This richness of the
Arab Christian community living in the Holy Land qualifies us to be a bridge
between Oriental and the Occidental cultures, without negating our origins and
identity as Arabs, Jordanians and Christians.
Fr
Rifat Bader rifatb@hotmail.com
Smakieh
22\5\2001
BETHLEHEM
DIARY (27)
Toine
van Teeffelen
May 14-21, 2001
This
week the “Naqba” is commemorated, what Palestinians call the
“disaster” - the flight and dispersal of Palestinians in the wake of the
establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. Allover the West Bank and Gaza,
and among the Palestinians in Israel too, demonstrations and parades are held,
some of which end up in clashes with Israeli soldiers. Mary says that one
demonstration in Bethlehem was accompanied by a horse the mother of which died
during a shelling of Beit Jala. I’ll visit the annual school festivity in
Battir, well-organized by the indomitable Sana’a. In order to prevent
criticism that she is having a joyful hafle (party) at a time when
people mourn their deaths and wounded, she has instructed the teachers and
students to keep all the songs, dances, and clothes in national style,
emphasizing the Palestinian identity and solidarity. The hundreds of mothers
present visibly enjoy it. One play tells about a Palestinian young man who is
unhappy with his poverty-stricken life in Palestine: “I am eating only bread
and olives, olives and bread.” Against the wishes of his mother, he leaves
the country and marries a foreign woman. He wants to forget about his ties
with Palestine, and even denies to his wife that his mother still lives.
However, she wants to see the village from where he came. His mother
recognizes him during their visit and wants to embrace him, but he avoids her.
The story shows that he cannot escape his fate: Israeli bullets critically
injure him and when his mother is willing to give him her kidney and blood to
save his life, he reconciles with her. He invites his mother to join living in
the West, but his wife tells him, “No, we are going to stay here.” And so
it happens. During the plays, Israeli military airplanes recurrently break
through the sound barrier, their presence both distant and immediate.
Battir
is a village to the southwest of Bethlehem at the border of the so-called
Green Line which separates the West Bank from Israel proper. During spring it
is surrounded by an idyllic green environment. There are Roman pools and
little water channels that are used for the irrigation of the fields with
vegetables, among them the aubergine (beetinjaan) for which Battir is
famous. I ask Sana’a why the local inhabitants have still not set up a local
folklore center. It seems it is difficult to get the families cooperating for
such an initiative. Since several years I observe that the young girls of
Battir have a particular talent for dance and drama. It is as if they really
feel free in their movements. Apart from a high level of education attained by
its inhabitants, the village has certain fame for its strong-willed and
independent women. This academic year, Suzy has conducted an oral history
project with her 11th graders, and one of the students from Battir
describes how during British time, before 1948, the women of Battir took care
to help the Palestinian rebels with food and soup. As soon as the British army
approached the village, the women shouted at each other “it’s cloudy.”
Upon that sign, all the big soup pans were closed and hidden away because as
soon as the British would see the large amounts of food being prepared, they
would understand it was made for the rebels.
* * *
The
week is marked by a horrific massacre in Netanya and an equally horrific
massacre among sleeping Palestinian policemen in Nablous targeted by F 16
bomber jets. I hear from people in my environment that they find the man who
conducted the massacre in Netanya “courageous” even though they do not
agree with his deed. It seems that the man left a chocolate box for his family
in which he left a message that explained his suicide mission. The
international press makes comparisons with the Old Testament, “an eye for an
eye, a tooth for a tooth.” Mary reminds me of the Samson story, in which the
giant-like Samson, blind and in chains, pushes away the pillars of the
Philistine temple in Gaza to destroy himself as well as his executioners.
“We learn from the Jews,” she says. The Palestinians are in chains, and
there is a lot of despair.
In
my opinion, what the Palestinians (and Israelis) seem to need is both
political and moral leadership to show a way out of the escalation, a journey
away from the abyss into a livable future. It is hopeless to stay in a cycle
of victimization, barricade mentality, fear, and a continuing frustration that
the outside world does not come at the rescue. The only moral authority with a
sympathetic audience among both Christians and Moslems these weeks is the
Pope, whose visit to Damascus and Quneitra on the Golan and the statements
made got a warm reception throughout Palestine.
After
the escalation, pedestrians at the Bethlehem checkpoint going or coming from
Jerusalem now have to go through a narrow tin corridor of some 40 meters to
check their IDs and passports. It is a terribly humiliating experience.
* * *
Fuad
tells that he lately heard a story about a Christian Tanzim who went to Beit
Jala during one of the evenings. Before he started shooting, he crossed
himself. Crossing oneself is a custom here that is not restricted to rituals
at home or in the church. For instance, many Christians who pass a sacred
place such as the monastery of Mar Elias, close to the checkpoint, do so.
(When I saw this happening for the first time, I thought that people begged
for saintly help in order to cross the checkpoint safely). Anyway, an
inhabitant in a house nearby saw the crossing and, assuming that the Tanzim
was a Moslem, thought that the man was mocking the Christians. She shouted at
him from the window and, after the Tanzim told that he was a Christian too,
she shouted back: “Moslem or Christian, go immediately away from here!”
* * *
Jara
is for the first time afraid during the shelling this week. “Mama, ana
chaaife.” Mary and I feel
bad, we had hoped that the fear would not come so soon. I’ll tell her that
there is no reason to be afraid, and she seems to understand and agree. Next
day, during another round of shelling, she tells Mary, “Mama, you
shouldn’t be afraid.”
The Voice of Christian Students in
Gaza
By
Dr. Maria C. Khoury
Day
by day we live with bloodshed and death. We have almost made it to the end of
a difficult school year. The Israelis make every effort to cheat Palestinian
children from their education. We must try everything in our power to keep our
schools open and our programs and activities that promote the education of the
whole child alive. School is
about the only hope left for every Palestinian child. Even the graduation
ceremonies this week have to be in the midst of shooting and bombing. It is
amazing that world leaders look at what is happening against the Palestinians
and no one can stop the Israeli brutality and cold-blooded killings. So many
of our students in our Latin Patriarchate Schools refer to their faith in such
incidents and call out for God to help us.
We
have a very small Christian population in Gaza and the Gaza Latin Patriarchate
School has played a vital role since it was built in l974, not only providing
high standards in education but also a Christian atmosphere and religion
lessons for Christian children. The school has a little over one thousand
students with 15% Christians from kindergarten to 12th grade. It is
actually considered one of the best schools in Gaza. I personally find the
Gaza Christian population very isolated and in need of solidarity. Thus I
wanted to share with you the following excerpts from student essays:
Everyday
I see blood and killing. I do not know how to live my life. When my mother
hears the crash of the bombs she becomes afraid. My little sister begins to
cry…I’m very sad and worried. I don’t want every minute to hear crashes
of bombs. I want peace, freedom and justice. (Manar Zommo, 8th
grade)
The
Israeli forces put us under siege; they separated the areas between each
other, so that people in Rafah can’t move to Khan Younis and the other
parts. (Dalia Dabbagh, 8th grade)
Everything
becomes hard and tragic in our life... (George Fatouleh, 9th grade)
My
life has changed too much. I don’t go to the YMCA. I don’t go to
restaurants, and I am very afraid from the bombs. But I hope God will save all
the children and God will help the Palestinians. (Dana Burbara, 8th
grade)
When
we were studying about 7 o’clock in the evening, we heard a bomb sound. We
thought it was thunder, but it happened again and again, so we went to see
through the window. We saw the Israeli helicopters bombing us with rockets and
we saw the explosion here and there, so we became frightened. It was really
the scariest time we lived and till now we are watching more martyrs die. For
that we ask God to stop this and to spread the peace. (Ramzi Frangieh, 8th
grade)
You
know we are in hard times. My feelings are too bad and I am very sad because
not all the students come to the school because the road is closed…but we
must not be afraid because God will help us, you know Palestine is our home
and we must not leave it. (Katreen Masoud, 8th grade)
All
my holidays were sad. My feeling
these days are very sad and angry because these are hard and difficult days in
the Intifada. (Nour Tarazi, 8th grade)
One
of the fearful and hard times was the absence of my father while the Israeli
helicopters were bombing. He was on his way home from his pharmacy. I thanked
God when he arrived and I’ll pray every day because of the continuous
attacks of the Israeli armies on the innocent people. More and more the
Israeli siege prevented thousands of workers from gaining their daily bread,
which caused the grief and poverty to many people. (Michael Frangieh, 9th
grade)
Our
Palestinian people don’t have any army to defend their country; we use only
the stones…(Elias Manneh, 8th grade)
For
students like me, it is impossible to study in this situation…the only thing
we can do is pray to God… (Waleed Siam, 9th grade)
My
Life in Palestine these Days
By
Lulu Dabbagh, 8th grade
Palestine
is the flower in my life. It is our mother. It calls me “help me, help me,
help me please.” In Palestine, my life is difficult and sad, no travel, not
enough food, no place to play and no nice time with friends and no happy
holidays.
During
these days, my family is very sad. My dad doesn’t go to his work because he
works near Netzarim settlement. My younger sister is afraid from Sharon
because he made many massacres like Dier Yassin, Sabra and Shatila. At home we
watch the Palestinian channel to see what happens in Palestine. When we see
martyrs, the tears come to our eyes. At the beginning of the Intifada, we
watched Mohammed Al Durra while he was crying behind his father and then being
shot dead by the Israelis in cold blood. This scene shocked the whole world.
My parents cried while watching it because they know what these moments mean
to a father who could not protect his son.
My
youngest brother was afraid very much when the Israelis planes bombed Gaza and
every time he hears the noise of planes he is terrified. My friends at school
hate the Israelis as I do. We all prayed to God not to let Sharon win the
elections. I spend my school days studying hard because the knowledge is our
only weapon. I beg the Lord to give us independence to establish the
Palestinian State and its capital Jerusalem.
Hand in hand to put the corner stone in our Palestinian State, to
protect our holy places and to keep our flag high in the sky.
My Family and My Life in Palestine these Days
By
Lina Dabbagh, 7th grade
Our
life in Gaza has changed in many ways and it has become worse since the
beginning of the Intifada last September. We are living in fear and tension
and always thinking about our destiny.
The
Israelis hit Gaza by rockets many times. Their tanks are surrounding our lands
and we expect more from them. Everyday I watch, with my family, the news on TV
and see our Palestinian brothers and sisters wounded and killed defending our
rights and lands. I feel angry while watching these scenes and wish to join
them.
The
situation is becoming worse especially since a war criminal won the elections
in Israel. Each member of my family is suffering in a different way. My little
brother and sister are terrified from being attacked or bombed by the
Israelis. We are feeling frightened when hearing the roaring of planes in the
sky. My father stopped going to his work as it is next to one of the
settlements in Gaza.
Every
family in Palestine is suffering especially the ones who lost one or more of
their members. Others lost their houses as they were demolished and they
became homeless. Workers lost their work and their income to feed their
children. In spite of all the suffering of the Palestine people, we are
willing to sacrifice our souls cheaply defending our dignity and rights.
HCEF Board
Members
Plan a Fact-Finding Mission to the
Holy Land
Robert Younes, M.D.
301-983-3022, Toll Free 866-871-HCEF younes@hcef.org
Press Release (For immediate release)
The Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation (HCEF)*
Rateb Rabie, KHS, President of the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical
Foundation (HCEF), announced today that several members of the HCEF Board and
committees plan to travel to the Holy Land for a two-week fact-finding mission
between May 16 and June 1, 2001.
The first stop will be in Amman, Jordan where the group spend 5 days and
will meet with government and religious leaders. It is planned that
meetings will occur with officials of the Ministry of Tourism. Ministry of
Information and Ministry of Education. One issue of importance that will
be discussed relates to the strategies needed to augment Christian tourism to
the holy sites in Jordan. In addition, the delegation will review ways
to increase cooperation between the Christian schools and HCEF in the area of
improved funding. The delegation will also meet with Bishop Salim Sayegh,
Latin Bishop of Jordan and religious leaders of the Melkite, Orthodox,
Lutheran and Anglican Christian denominations.
The second stop will be Palestine. The group will visit a number of
Christian towns and villages and see first hand the effects of the present
conditions in the Holy Land. An effort will be made to speak to local secular
and religious leaders and townspeople to determine the impact that the
Intifada has had on the Christian community and how HCEF can provide support
to help relieve the suffering of our brothers and sisters. The delegation
intends to meet with Palestinian Authority officials. Meetings are
planned with the Latin, Lutheran, Episcopal, Orthodox and Melkite religious
leaders to discuss how HCEF can assist them in supporting our Christian
brothers and sisters in the Holy Land. The delegation will visit schools
where HCEF's Child Sponsorship program has helped by providing funds so that
children can continue their education. The HCEF delegation will engage in
round table discussions with travel agents, tour guides, transport and
hospitality companies etc., to develop pilgrimage packages to support
Christian tourism. Discussions will also occur with leaders of NGO's to
find mechanisms for improved cooperation. The delegation will meet with
local pastors of Christian churches to find ways to develop partnerships
between American Christian churches and churches in the Holy Land. The group
will visit crafts workshops and look for products to sell in the United States
to benefit the crafts trade. The delegation also plans to visit the Holy
Sites and offer prayers for the safety of the Christians who are struggling to
survive under the present conditions.
Rateb Rabie announced that a substantial amount of financial aid for
emergency relief will be distributed during the course of the visits to local
institutions. "HCEF has worked hard to raise funds for our Christian
brothers and sisters; our only regret is that we will not be able to assist
everyone in need."
The Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation was founded in 1998 and is
dedicated to supporting the indigenous Christians in the Holy Land. HCEF also
informs the American public about the fact that the Christians in the Holy
Land are descendents of the original Christians who first followed Jesus
Christ as he preached the Gospel 2000 years ago. During this season it is
especially important to remember that Christianity had it origin in the Holy
Land during the Pentecost in 34 AD.
HCEF sponsored two National Conferences and is planning the Third National
Conference for October 19, 20 which will be held at the National Presbyterian
Church in Washington, D.C. HCEF activist committees are present in Washington,
D.C., Baltimore, MD, Houston, TX, Atlanta, GA and Detroit, MI. The Detroit
Committee sponsored its first HCEF Symposium and Banquet on March 31, 2001 in
that city. The Atlanta committee planning its first Symposium on June
15, 2001 that will honor Patriarch Michel Sabbah of Jerusalem who will speak
on: Jerusalem, The Mother Church of Christianity. -30-
* The Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation is a tax exempt,
non-profit organization committed to improving the lives of Christians in the
Holy Land by developing bonds of solidarity with Christians in the United
States. HCEF, PO Box 6687, Silver Spring, MD 20906. (301)
871-9222, Fax (301) 871-2277. www.hcef.org.
Email: news@hcef.org
Joint
Israeli-Palestinian
Press
Conference in Jerusalem: joint statement
Press Release: 21/5/2001
Gush Shalom, the Palestinian
Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy- MIFTAH, the
Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions and LAW held a joint
Palestinian-Israeli press conference on Monday, May 21st, 2001, at 10:00 at
the American Colony Hotel in east Jerusalem.
This press conference was held at the wake of Israel's attack on targets in
the heavily populated cities of Ramallah, Nablus, Tulkarem, and Gaza on Friday
May 18th, 2001, using US-supplied F16 fighter aircrafts. Following is the
joint statement issued at the conference:
A JUST PEACE: THE ONLY WAY OUT
A JOINT PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI APPEAL TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
Israel's use on Friday of F-16
warplanes for the first time since the 1967 War against targets in the heavily
populated cities of Ramallah, Nablus, Tulkarem, and Gaza signals a dangerous
escalation of the conflict to which the world cannot be indifferent. Israel's
massive attacks on Friday and Saturday represent a concerted attempt to break
Palestinian resistance to an unjust and imposed "peace," to use its
powerful military arsenal to browbeat the Palestinians into submission, and
specifically to cause the collapse of the Palestinian Authority. Behind the
rhetoric of self-defense, of blaming the Palestinians for the violence, lies
an absolute refusal to abandon its occupation, and in particular its steadily
expanding settlements. While we deplore the loss of innocent life in the
attack on the Netanya shopping center, an act immediately condemned by the
Palestinian Authority as well, this is no way justifies the Israel
government's attempt to cast its military campaign against the Palestinian
people as mere "reaction." There is no symmetry here, no
proportional or sensible link. The Israeli government presents its actions as
"self-defense," as though there were no occupation.
Seven months of attacks with Apache helicopters, tanks, missiles and troops
culminated (but did not end) in Friday's attacks on Palestinian cities with
US-supplied F-16 warplanes. Add to this the destruction of hundreds of homes
over the past seven months, the uprooting of thousands of fruit trees and the
clearing of hundreds of acres of farm land, the wholesale attacks on the
Palestinian infrastructure and the killing of more than 500 civilians, many of
them children, and the claim of mere "reaction" collapses. So, too,
does the illusion of symmetry.
Israeli policy, initiated by Ehud Barak and escalated by Ariel Sharon,
highlights the futility of trying to impose an inadequate solution to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict by force. There is only one way out: through a
just peace based on an end to the Israeli Occupation, the emergence of a
viable and truly sovereign Palestinian state and the resolution of the refugee
issue in accordance with UN Resolution 194. Despite the current polarization
of our peoples, we believe that the overwhelming majorities in both our
societies desire a genuine peace.
We, representatives of Palestinian and Israeli human rights and peace
organizations, call on the international community:
** To end the Israeli government's escalation of military force against the
Palestinian people, to lift the multiple siege on Palestinian towns and
villages, to put an end to Israel's policy of political assassinations, extra
judicial killings and abduction of targeted Palestinian political figures and
activists, to stop the destruction of human lives, to stop the demolition of
Palestinian homes and to stop the uprooting of trees and confiscation of land.
** To take immediate and concrete steps in providing international protection
to the Palestinian people;
**
To oppose Israeli attempts to strengthen its Occupation, including settlement
activities, as called for by the Egyptian-Jordanian initiative and the
Mitchell Commission;
** To hold Israel accountable according to the principles of international
humanitarian law and UN Resolutions; and
** To ensure that any peace settlement be based on a complete Israeli
withdrawal from the Occupied Territories, including east Jerusalem, and
conformity with United Nations Resolutions 242, 338 and 194, and the
'land-for-peace' equation, formally adopted in Washington DC in 1993.
Only a just peace will free both our peoples from the tragic loss of life this
weekend has brought us.
[signed] Palestinian &
Israeli organizations
Hanan Ashrawi, MIFTAH
Uri Avneri, Gush Shalom
Khader Sheqirat, LAW
Leah Tsemel, Attorney
Jeff Halper, Israeli Committee Against House Demolition
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