Catholic Bishops Demand Israel End Occupation Of Palestinian Land

VATICAN CITY — Bishops from the Middle East who were summoned to Rome by the pope demanded Saturday that Israel accept U.N. resolutions calling for an end to its "occupation" of Arab lands.

In a final joint communique, the bishops also told Israel it shouldn't use the Bible to justify "injustices" against the Palestinians.

The bishops issued the statement at the close of their two-week meeting, called by Pope Benedict XVI to discuss the plight of Christians in the Middle East amid a major exodus of the faithful from the birthplace of Christianity.

The Catholic Church has long been a minority in the largely Muslim region but its presence is shrinking further as a result of war, conflict, discrimination and economic problems.

During the meeting, several bishops blamed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for spurring the flight – a position echoed in their final paper. While the bishops condemned terrorism and anti-Semitism, they laid much of the blame for the conflict squarely on Israel.

They listed the "occupation" of Palestinian lands, Israel's separation barrier with the West Bank, its military checkpoints, political prisoners, demolition of homes and disturbance of Palestinians' socio-economic lives as factors that have made life increasingly difficult for Palestinians.

They said they had "reflected" on the suffering and insecurity in which Israelis live and on the status of Jerusalem, a city holy to Christians, Jews and Muslims.

"We are anxious about the unilateral initiatives that threaten its composition and risk to change its demographic balance," they said.

They called on the international community to apply U.N. Security Council resolutions adopted in 1967, which called on Israel to withdraw from Arab land conquered in the Six-Day War that year.

"The Palestinian people will thus have an independent and sovereign homeland where they can live with dignity and security," they said, while Israel will be able to enjoy peace and security.

Comments

[frankystein12]

01:17 PM on 11/21/2010

The Church has finally done something worth praising for.

[lonngfello]

09:40 PM on 11/19/2010

A few quotes from a Salondotcom article to set the record strait regarding Iraq, several have referenced it below.

"A high-ranking military officer reveals how Defense Department extremists suppressed information and twisted the truth to drive the country to war."

"At the time, I didn't realize that the expertise on Middle East policy was not only being removed, but was also being exchanged for that from various agenda-bearing think tanks, including the Middle East Media Research Institute, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs" ( the “think tanks” have a pro Israel agenda as their main objective). "Interestingly, the office director billet stayed vacant the whole time I was there. That vacancy and the long-term absence of real regional understanding to inform defense policymakers in the Pentagon explains a great deal about the neoconservative approach on the Middle East and the disastrous mistakes made in Washington and in Iraq in the past two years."

" My first day in the office, a GS-15 career civil servant rather unhappily advised me that if I wanted to be successful here, I'd better remember not to say anything positive about the Palestinians."

"Instead of developing defense policy alternatives and advice, OSP was used to manufacture propaganda for internal and external use, and pseudo war planning."
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/feature/2004/03/10/osp_moveon

[Saco A]

12:28 AM on 11/01/2010

I suggest they read the future Palestinian constitution that states it will be an Islamic state governed by the Sharia law, and we know how well Christians and Christianity is doing under Islamic states.

http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Palestine_%282003%29#ARTICLE_4

[Ana Lane]

02:40 AM on 11/01/2010

no problem.

love that online editing feature...

[Saco A]

03:27 AM on 11/01/2010

You can find it elsewhere. For example:

http://www.mideastweb.org/palconstitution.htm

[Ana Lane]

03:54 PM on 11/01/2010

and where may i find a copy of the constitution for ISRAEL?

OH, THERE IS NONE!

[Saco A]

04:26 PM on 11/01/2010

Next to constitution of Britain.

[hellothereandhere]

11:29 PM on 10/29/2010

If the United Nations recognized the right of the Jewish people to independence in their homeland,
why shouldn't the United Nations recognize it for the Palestinians too ?

[lonngfello]

11:37 AM on 10/31/2010

No one (other than Zionists) ever agreed to the expulsion the Palestinian Arabs from their homelands on which they had thrived for over a millenia. When the Zionist movement began Muslims outnumbered the Jews at a 20 to 1 ratio. Judging from their statements and actions it was the Zionist intent to expel the Arabs from the early stages of the Zionism movement. Looking at the actions of Israel today it is obvious to see they want all the land contrary to their claim of a desire for paece.

[Saco A]

12:32 AM on 11/01/2010

No one (other than Zionists) ever agreed to the expulsion (=most of them ran away) the Palestinian (=they were not Palestinians then. Anachronism) Arabs from their homelands (=it was not their "homeland", which suggest a national relation to the territory) on which they had thrived (thrived? thrived? they were the backwater of a crumbling empire) for over a millenia (=really? So many of them were new Egyptian immigrants and many others came just a while before)

"it was the Zionist intent to expel the Arabs from the early stages of the Zionism movement." - a simple false and groundless statement. Pure propaganda.

[Saco A]

12:38 AM on 11/01/2010

It did, but the Palestinians did not want it if it will not be on the expense of the Jewish state. nothing have changed.

[giantspaceship]

03:33 PM on 10/27/2010

"Gaza had become a "terror base" of Israel's archrival, Iran." LOL are these people laughing at us as they write this cr@p ?

Netanyahu Praises Israeli Troops Who Raided Gaza-Bound Flotilla

Israel's prime minister has praised the naval commandos who participated in the deadly May raid on a Gaza-bound ship, saying they acted "heroically," "ethically" and "with restraint."

Benjamin Netanyahu told the men during a visit to their base in northern Israel on Tuesday that they had acted in an attempt to stop people "who sought to kill" them.

He said the raid was "necessary" and "legal," adding that he believed Gaza had become a "terror base" of Israel's archrival, Iran.

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/middle-east/Netanyahu-Praises-Israeli-Troops-Who-Raided-Gaza-Bound-Flotilla-105786513.html

[giantspaceship]

03:21 PM on 10/27/2010

Let me know if this "appears" on the American Main Stream Media....

U.N. envoy demands Israel act against settler attacks
(Reuters) - A senior U.N. official condemned attacks by Jewish "settler extremists" on Palestinians' olive trees in the occupied West Bank and called on Israel to "combat violence and terror by Israelis." Robert Serry, U.N. special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, also said he was alarmed that work had started on hundreds of new homes for settlers in the occupied territory since the end of Israel's settlement freeze last month.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE69P3DE20101026

[Igor Shoifot Fotki]

12:35 PM on 10/27/2010

It's Christian Jeopardy time!

Let's see, according to Wikipedia, there are 800,000 Christians in Saudi Arabia (mostly Indians and Philippinos), and 140,000 Christian in Israel (mostly Arabs).

HOW MANY CHRISTIAN CHURCHES ARE THERE:
A. IN ISRAEL?
B. IN SAUDI ARABIA?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXGhvoekY44

[Igor Shoifot Fotki]

12:49 PM on 10/27/2010

It's Christian Jeopardy again! :) "I'll take Christians for 64,000" ;)

When Israel proclaimed independence, the number of Christians in Israel was 34,000. Since then, it grew to 140,000. Question: did Christian population of Arab countries grew 4 times in half a century as well? ;)

[giantspaceship]

02:54 PM on 10/27/2010

"When Israel proclaimed independence" its borders were ?

[Godiswhatyoubelievein]

01:11 PM on 10/28/2010

have you seen any mosque in Vatican ? when u do tell me :) hypocrite

[Nwo2012]

04:49 AM on 10/28/2010

You're comparing Israel to Saudi Arabia. Why?

Why are you not comparing it to Finland, Denmark, Germany, France or any other liberal democracy?

Is Saudi Arabia your baseline for comparison of how Utopian Israel is supposed to be? Is that the best you apologists can do?

"Look at Israel! Its not worse than Saudi Arabia!!"

[messy]

08:30 AM on 10/28/2010

Well, as to how it treats JEWS it is.

[Igor Shoifot Fotki]

01:12 AM on 10/30/2010

Comparing Israel to Denmark? :))))

"NWO", do you read anything other than conspiracy anti-zionist world order (NWO) sites? :) The subject of the Article was about Middle Eastern Catholic bishops condemning Israel - I wrote that they should look at other countries in the region, and just like Israel is the holy state for Jews, religiously, so is Saudi Arabia for Muslims (WHAT DO "liberal democracies like Finland" have to do with the region???)

[Igor Shoifot Fotki]

11:57 AM on 10/27/2010

That's a lie.

Christians have been humiliated, oppressed and prosecuted throughout Muslim world since Mohammed, and Koran and Sharia call for death for converting into Christianity, and it's still a crime in many Muslim countries to not just convert, but to preach Christianity to Muslims. The only time when coexistance was indeed "peaceful" was in 9-10th centuries, 1,000 years ago, when Islam was much milder and Khaliphate was at it's peak - and even then, according to encyclopedia:

" Christians never enjoyed equal rights under Islamic rule, and their original guarantees, at first fairly broad, steadily diminshed. They were still allowed to practice their own religion in private, but found their cultural autonomy increasingly reduced. .

In the generations that followed the conquest, Muslim rulers promulgated new statutes clearly disadvantageous to dhimmi. The construction of new churches and the sounding of church bells were eventually forbidden , their existence soon became precarious.

Restrictions that forbade Christians to occupy any position in control of Muslims did encourage Christian slaves to gain their freedom by declaring conversion to Islam; this had a dampening effect on the Christian position in the social structure. Eulogius comments repeatedly on the burdensome tax that Christians bore."

[sherifdxb]

10:11 AM on 10/27/2010

The fact of the matter, which Israel and its Hasbara agents keep trying to divert attention from is that there are millions of Christian Arabs and Palestinians living in peace and harmony for hundreds of years since the Crusades. The Christians are now suffering just as much as their Palestinian brothers in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Beit Jala and Beit Sahour -- where there are sizeable Christian communities there.

Another fact is that billions of people around the world, do not agree with the so-called myth that Jews are God's "Chosen People" and that God has given them Palestine. This Holy Land belongs to all faiths, whether they can coexist peacefully. That is more acceptable for all, I believe.

[Macready]

07:05 AM on 10/27/2010

"Bishops from the Middle East who were summoned to Rome by the pope demanded Saturday that Israel accept U.N. resolutions calling for an end to its "occupation" of Arab lands.

In a final joint communique, the bishops also told Israel it shouldn't use the Bible to justify "injustices" against the Palestinians."

this is good news . . . . the Palestinians both Muslim and Christian have suffered for decades because of israel . . . israel must be held accountable for its many crimes and human rights offences . . . .

[alterego55]

09:37 PM on 10/26/2010

As despicable as the holocaust was, it is the very reason Israel is a nation. If Hitler had gone after Palestinians instead of Jews, the Palestinians would own Israel now, and the Israelis would be on the outside looking in.

[Nym22]

08:03 PM on 10/26/2010

I do enjoy the irony of the photo...racial harmony and the occupation.

[lonngfello]

08:41 PM on 10/26/2010

Look at the soldier on the right. His expression says he is thoroughly enjoying himself while abusing the Palestinian youth. I thought you were one of the more reasonable Israeli supporters Nym22, was I wrong?

[BcemXAHA]

08:49 PM on 10/26/2010

He looks like he's straining to me.

[Londoncall]

03:43 AM on 10/27/2010

He is being ironic, I think.

[giantspaceship]

12:54 AM on 10/28/2010

The "Palestinian refugee problem"--that is, the human tragedy created by the Israeli expulsion of the Palestinians from their homeland, Palestine--remains a seemingly insoluble aspect of the Middle East puzzle.

http://www.robincmiller.com/pales2.htm

[Igor Shoifot Fotki]

03:17 PM on 10/26/2010

How about demanding that prosecution of Christians and execution of converts into Christianity stopped in the Muslim world?
Cowards.

[Nwo2012]

04:51 PM on 10/26/2010

They already do that?

[Igor Shoifot Fotki]

08:14 PM on 10/26/2010

Don't make me laugh, Nwo?
Leaders of a religion whose members are terroized, humiliated, mocked, threatened and killed up in arms against the only country in the region where their adherents do not fear for their and their children lives for being Christians have nothing better to do then to shake the atmosphere condemning that country???
It would be like Jews in a Nazi ghetto condemning Soviets for occupying Bessarabia :)

[BcemXAHA]

12:45 PM on 10/27/2010

Couldn't respond to your post to me, so I'm doing it here. If you think that they're illogical robotrons, check out the comments here, it's astounding:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/27/umm-elfahm-arab-israeli-t_n_774576.html?show_comment_id=65178745#comment_65178745

[Igor Shoifot Fotki]

04:02 PM on 10/27/2010

they can't help it :)))

[Dr Carol LaBra]

03:07 PM on 10/26/2010

I was grow up in the Sudan as a Catholic educated school girl in French and some Latin and many other tungs to survive colonialism. I still wonder to the papacy and the Dali Lama his holinesses both of them if Jesus would do this today should he be charged with felonies like the cleansing of the temple or just imprisoned for 5 years too because she is a Buddhist monk and the first suffragettes were imprisoned and given lobotomies by the early religion of psychiatry and forced fed during hunger fasts as well.

http://bramin.wordpress.com/page/2/

I am not a catholic or protestant anymore and never a pedophile either to the priests hoods so please do not print this message like the other did not the moderator let go either. My English is very poor with no translator either my friend.

These are sad pictures too most Buddhist not yes? Since these is no God or profit(pure proof) of one in the Suras yes too?:

http://www.google.com/images?oe=utf-8&q=depleted+uranium+baby+images&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=CSbHTIayK8L7lweO4OXIAQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CCgQsAQwAA

[straight32]

02:24 PM on 10/26/2010

Who gave Catholic Church the right to declare sovereignty over a piece of land within Rome's city limits? Divine right? I thought this synod just said there is no divine right to take over a piece of land justifying it with scripture

They are a State within Rome Italy. They own shares in most transnationals-They even own shares in a condom factory, yet are against condoms, thus having increased AIDS amongst African Catholics They won't allow Mosques to be built in the Vatican. Is Vatican a Democratic State? Strange, whenever a Pope dies they cast ballots and some white smoke appears. Do they have transparent banking system? NO.Do they hold stolen Nazi treasure? YES. Do they own properties and pay no tax? YES. Are they controlling pedophilia amongst their clerics? NO. So who are they? Nobody knows. Really ?

Agree. Arab Iberia, Al Andaluz, should be returned to the Arabs from where they were kicked out by CATHOLICS after 800 years of occupation. Catholic Spain should leave the Moroccon Perejil island, Ceuta, Melilla and Tétuan.

While Vatican's at it, how about demanding that the US government vacate land granted to Indians as their sovereign land 200 years ago; grant Puerto Rico and other territories independence, Russia should pull back from Polish territory it annexed after WWII; Canada shold give Quebec its independence; Russia should pull out of Cechnya; China should leave Moslem lands; India, Pakistan should give Kashmir its independence; the Brits should return the Falklands to Argentina, etc.

[Nwo2012]

03:49 PM on 10/26/2010

Crimes committed by other countries don't excuse Israels behavior.

As for the other unrelated and unconnected policies, people are dealing with them. One thing at a time please!

[Macready]

07:06 AM on 10/27/2010

great blog Nwo2012