Member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Chairman of the Supreme Presidential Committee for Follow-up of Church Affairs in Palestine, praised the role played by churches and Christian institutions in the United States and their advocacy for the Palestinian cause and work to protect the Palestinian Christian presence.
He referred to the two letters signed by more than thirty individuals, including church leaders and representatives of Christian institutions in the United States of America, as well as a number of representatives of churches in the Holy Land, and sent to US President Joe Biden on September 11, 2023.
Khoury said, in a statement, today, Wednesday: The efforts made by the churches to lift the injustice against the Palestinian people reflect the world’s awakening regarding the violations committed by Israel of Islamic and Christian sanctities and the abuse and attacks that the Palestinian people are exposed to from flocks of settlers, in addition to the daily incursions. For Palestinian cities and villages.
The Chairman of the Committee praised the role played by the Council of Churches in the Holy Land to protect the Palestinian Christian presence, and its work at the international and local levels to stabilize this deep-rooted and rooted presence in Palestine.
In their letter to President Biden, the heads and representatives of churches and Christian institutions in the United States of America expressed their deep concern about what Christians are being exposed to in the Holy Land, especially with the escalation of attacks on clergy, monasteries and churches under the new Israeli government, stressing their full support for the position of the heads of the churches. In Jerusalem and their rejection of all racist and extremist practices, and attempts at Judaization that the Israeli government is trying to impose on the city of Jerusalem.
The message emphasized that Christian Palestinians are an essential and major part of the cultural, religious and political fabric in Jerusalem and the Holy Land, and this presence extends to more than two thousand years, adding that security, freedom and prosperity cannot be achieved except through equality among all peoples.
The heads and representatives of the churches called on President Biden, ahead of his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to put pressure on stopping all forms of violence and incitement against Christians in the Holy Land, and to put an end to the extremist practices that churches, cemeteries and holy places are exposed to, noting that the world looks with concern towards These attacks and hateful actions against the Christian presence, especially in the city of Jerusalem.
They expressed their concern about the threats to the Mount of Olives and the Israeli attempts to strip the churches of their right to manage the site, adding that the Israeli proposals to transform the Mount of Olives into an Israeli national park will have far-reaching consequences, threatening to cause an imbalance in the religious and heritage balance of the city of Jerusalem and its character as a city of importance. International.
They indicated in their letter that all of these measures are pushing more Palestinians, especially Christians, to emigrate from Jerusalem, calling on President Biden to take immediate action to stop all measures that threaten a real danger to the residents of the region and evacuate or expel them, or any plans that would control this sacred Christian site. .
In their message, the leaders of the churches and institutions affirmed their full solidarity with the Palestinian people who suffer from injustice and are deprived of all their legitimate rights, and the necessity of taking action to preserve and protect the Christian heritage in the Holy Land, and their joining with the leaders of the churches in Jerusalem and their call to preserve the Palestinian Christian presence, which is exposed to persecution and racial discrimination on a daily basis. Pointing out the importance of ensuring freedom of worship for all religions
Source: Maan News Agency