12 june 2014
Three Palestinian citizens of Israel were arrested on Sunday morning during a confrontation with Israeli police and land authorities who had raided an activist camp in the village of Iqrit, located near the Lebanese border in Israel’s northern Galilee region. The three young men who were arrested were Wlaa Sbeit, Nidal Khoury and Jerias Khayyat.
In October 1948, the Israeli military occupied Iqrit and expelled its uniformly Christian residents. Three years later, the Israeli High Court ruled that the displaced could return to the village, but a unit of soldiers demolished all of the homes and structures with dynamite and other explosives on Christmas Day in 1951.
Only an historical church and a graveyard were left intact and remain standing today, and the majority of the refugees were “internally displaced” — exiled from Iqrit yet remaining in the newly-born state of Israel and taking citizenship there.
Since their forced displacement, many of Iqrit’s residents and their descendants have visited the village’s remains annually to pay homage to their heritage and to observe Christian holidays and the anniversary of their displacement.
In August 2012, a group of about a dozen Palestinian youth activists — all of them descendants of refugees from the village — returned to Iqrit and began to rebuild parts of the destroyed village. Since then, they’ve been living there in tents and the lone church.
“Violent behavior”
Speaking to MintPress News by telephone, Shadia Sbeit, a media spokesperson for Iqrit, said Israel Land Administration officers and police forces arrived in the village at around 10:00 am on Sunday.
“We think it was because the day before we had held a memorial for a family that was displaced from Iqrit [in 1948],” she explained.
Land management officers uprooted the activists’ garden and confiscated their belongings, including furniture, camping supplies, food and personal items, as well as mattresses and blankets.
When the young people attempted to prevent Israel Land Administration officers from taking their personal belongings, such as cellphones, police officers intervened to arrest them.
“There was violent behavior and unnecessary force,” Sbeit said. “Three people were kicking Nidal [Khoury] while he was on the ground.”
Wlaa Sbeit, Khoury and Khayyat were subsequently arrested and taken to an Israeli police station in Nahariya for interrogation.
“Problematic arrests”
“The first problem is that upon arrival the land authorities and police did not introduce themselves or explain why they were present,” Oram Mahameed, an attorney for Adalah Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights, told MintPress. “This is required by Israeli law.”
He explained that when he visited them after their interrogation there were “bruises on the face and the arms” on two of the three young men, who were given “charges related to preventing Israeli authorities from completing their work.”
“It seems that they hit them solely for shouting, and shouting isn’t an offense,” Mahameed continued, adding that it was the first documented case he was aware of in which land authorities — not police — were the ones using force.
On Monday morning, a local magistrate court decided to extend Khoury’s detention until Wednesday, and the other two detainees were released and put under house arrest until June 16.
The judge also ruled that Wlaa Sbeit and Jerias Khayyat are prohibited from entering Iqrit for 60 days — a type of ruling that is generally reserved for situations in which an individual or group poses a threat to others.
“But they are not a danger to Iqrit,” Mahameed said. “It is clear that this was a political decision by Israeli authorities who did not like the youth’s return to the village.”
Although Shadia Sbeit, the group’s spokesperson, said this was the first case of arrests in the last two years, Iqrit-based activists described a pattern of harassment by Israeli authorities, including monitoring, regular visits from Israel Land Administration officers and unofficial police interviews.
Returned to “difficult conditions”
In recent years, activists have held summer camps in the village to teach the history of Iqrit and other issues pertaining to Palestinians in Israel.
In August 2012, a group of youth activists decided not to wait for the permission of Israeli authorities and returned to the village on their own. Since then, they have hosted regular cultural events, holiday celebrations and political forums there.
Ameer Ashqar, 20, is among those who have lived in Iqrit on a regular basis since August 2012. His grandparents were driven out of Iqrit in 1948 and resettled in the nearby town of Kafr Yassif, asrecently reported by MintPress.
Ashqar explained that the activists have faced “difficult conditions” since their return, particularly during the last two winters. “We get electricity from a solar system, so we were getting electricity for maybe a quarter of a day or half a day at best,” he told MintPress.
“Our generators didn’t always work, and the weather conditions were very rough at times,” he added.
Ashqar and the others have resided permanently in a single room in the church, which had to be renovated in order to make it safe enough for living. “Every now and then the church floods because of the rain and snow during the winter.”
“The police always come and bother us,” he said. “They come, ask questions, and confiscate property. They come and take whatever they want and leave.”
During this year’sEaster celebrations in Iqrit, a number Israeli surveillance drones hummed overhead, including two that crashed in a nearby field.
“Scared”
Elsewhere, activists have adopted the young people’s tactic in Iqrit toreturn to Kafr Baram, another destroyed Galilee village hugging the Israel-Lebanon border.
For months, Israeli authorities demolished anything activists in Kafr Baram built and uprooted their plants and gardens. Despite an appeal to stay on their land, an Israeli court last week ruled against them and ordered their eviction for Wednesday.
Nadim Nashif, director of Balanda, a Haifa-based Palestinian advocacy group, said that Israel is afraid that what has happened to Iqrit could spread to other demolished Palestinian areas across present-day Israel.
Israel “does not want to allow a precedent of people returning to their villages and staying there permanently, so they are increasingly aggressively pushing them out,” Nashif told MintPress.
“The government wants to tell them they can go to their villages but not stay there in any kind of permanent way… it’s scared that more [internal] refugees will begin returning to their ancestral lands.”
Around 25 percent of Palestinians who remained in the state of Israel after its establishment were internally displaced, added Nashif, who hopes to see similar initiatives spread to other depopulated Palestinians areas in Israel.
Israeli policies are often sculpted to maintain a Jewish majority in the country, including some 50 laws discriminating against the 1.7 million Palestinian citizens of Israel by limiting their political expression and access to land and other state resources, according to Adalah’s online database.
In March, Israel’s hardline right-wing foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman proposed transferring part of Israel’s minority of Palestinian citizens from their land to a potential Palestinian state.
“Israel doesn’t like that the return of Palestinians to Iqrit, and Kafr Baram has raised international awareness about the issue of internal refugees,” Nashif concluded.
In October 1948, the Israeli military occupied Iqrit and expelled its uniformly Christian residents. Three years later, the Israeli High Court ruled that the displaced could return to the village, but a unit of soldiers demolished all of the homes and structures with dynamite and other explosives on Christmas Day in 1951.
Only an historical church and a graveyard were left intact and remain standing today, and the majority of the refugees were “internally displaced” — exiled from Iqrit yet remaining in the newly-born state of Israel and taking citizenship there.
Since their forced displacement, many of Iqrit’s residents and their descendants have visited the village’s remains annually to pay homage to their heritage and to observe Christian holidays and the anniversary of their displacement.
In August 2012, a group of about a dozen Palestinian youth activists — all of them descendants of refugees from the village — returned to Iqrit and began to rebuild parts of the destroyed village. Since then, they’ve been living there in tents and the lone church.
“Violent behavior”
Speaking to MintPress News by telephone, Shadia Sbeit, a media spokesperson for Iqrit, said Israel Land Administration officers and police forces arrived in the village at around 10:00 am on Sunday.
“We think it was because the day before we had held a memorial for a family that was displaced from Iqrit [in 1948],” she explained.
Land management officers uprooted the activists’ garden and confiscated their belongings, including furniture, camping supplies, food and personal items, as well as mattresses and blankets.
When the young people attempted to prevent Israel Land Administration officers from taking their personal belongings, such as cellphones, police officers intervened to arrest them.
“There was violent behavior and unnecessary force,” Sbeit said. “Three people were kicking Nidal [Khoury] while he was on the ground.”
Wlaa Sbeit, Khoury and Khayyat were subsequently arrested and taken to an Israeli police station in Nahariya for interrogation.
“Problematic arrests”
“The first problem is that upon arrival the land authorities and police did not introduce themselves or explain why they were present,” Oram Mahameed, an attorney for Adalah Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights, told MintPress. “This is required by Israeli law.”
He explained that when he visited them after their interrogation there were “bruises on the face and the arms” on two of the three young men, who were given “charges related to preventing Israeli authorities from completing their work.”
“It seems that they hit them solely for shouting, and shouting isn’t an offense,” Mahameed continued, adding that it was the first documented case he was aware of in which land authorities — not police — were the ones using force.
On Monday morning, a local magistrate court decided to extend Khoury’s detention until Wednesday, and the other two detainees were released and put under house arrest until June 16.
The judge also ruled that Wlaa Sbeit and Jerias Khayyat are prohibited from entering Iqrit for 60 days — a type of ruling that is generally reserved for situations in which an individual or group poses a threat to others.
“But they are not a danger to Iqrit,” Mahameed said. “It is clear that this was a political decision by Israeli authorities who did not like the youth’s return to the village.”
Although Shadia Sbeit, the group’s spokesperson, said this was the first case of arrests in the last two years, Iqrit-based activists described a pattern of harassment by Israeli authorities, including monitoring, regular visits from Israel Land Administration officers and unofficial police interviews.
Returned to “difficult conditions”
In recent years, activists have held summer camps in the village to teach the history of Iqrit and other issues pertaining to Palestinians in Israel.
In August 2012, a group of youth activists decided not to wait for the permission of Israeli authorities and returned to the village on their own. Since then, they have hosted regular cultural events, holiday celebrations and political forums there.
Ameer Ashqar, 20, is among those who have lived in Iqrit on a regular basis since August 2012. His grandparents were driven out of Iqrit in 1948 and resettled in the nearby town of Kafr Yassif, asrecently reported by MintPress.
Ashqar explained that the activists have faced “difficult conditions” since their return, particularly during the last two winters. “We get electricity from a solar system, so we were getting electricity for maybe a quarter of a day or half a day at best,” he told MintPress.
“Our generators didn’t always work, and the weather conditions were very rough at times,” he added.
Ashqar and the others have resided permanently in a single room in the church, which had to be renovated in order to make it safe enough for living. “Every now and then the church floods because of the rain and snow during the winter.”
“The police always come and bother us,” he said. “They come, ask questions, and confiscate property. They come and take whatever they want and leave.”
During this year’sEaster celebrations in Iqrit, a number Israeli surveillance drones hummed overhead, including two that crashed in a nearby field.
“Scared”
Elsewhere, activists have adopted the young people’s tactic in Iqrit toreturn to Kafr Baram, another destroyed Galilee village hugging the Israel-Lebanon border.
For months, Israeli authorities demolished anything activists in Kafr Baram built and uprooted their plants and gardens. Despite an appeal to stay on their land, an Israeli court last week ruled against them and ordered their eviction for Wednesday.
Nadim Nashif, director of Balanda, a Haifa-based Palestinian advocacy group, said that Israel is afraid that what has happened to Iqrit could spread to other demolished Palestinian areas across present-day Israel.
Israel “does not want to allow a precedent of people returning to their villages and staying there permanently, so they are increasingly aggressively pushing them out,” Nashif told MintPress.
“The government wants to tell them they can go to their villages but not stay there in any kind of permanent way… it’s scared that more [internal] refugees will begin returning to their ancestral lands.”
Around 25 percent of Palestinians who remained in the state of Israel after its establishment were internally displaced, added Nashif, who hopes to see similar initiatives spread to other depopulated Palestinians areas in Israel.
Israeli policies are often sculpted to maintain a Jewish majority in the country, including some 50 laws discriminating against the 1.7 million Palestinian citizens of Israel by limiting their political expression and access to land and other state resources, according to Adalah’s online database.
In March, Israel’s hardline right-wing foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman proposed transferring part of Israel’s minority of Palestinian citizens from their land to a potential Palestinian state.
“Israel doesn’t like that the return of Palestinians to Iqrit, and Kafr Baram has raised international awareness about the issue of internal refugees,” Nashif concluded.
10 june 2014
Jewish extremists pray as they protest at the Cenacle, or Upper Room, on Mount Zion just outside the Old City of Jerusalem, against Christian pilgrims praying there for Pentecost, on June 9, 2014
Several dozen radical Jews gathered Monday at the Jerusalem site known as the Cenacle to protest against Christian pilgrims praying there for Pentecost, a police spokeswoman said.
"Around 30 Jewish faithful gathered to pray in the presence of (rightwing Likud) MP Moshe Feiglin," Luba Samri told AFP.
The Cenacle, or Upper Room, on Mount Zion is in a two-story building considered holy to both Christians and Jews, who regard it as the place where the biblical figure David was buried.
An AFP photographer said Christian pilgrims and tourists were kept by police in one part of the church as Jews protested, danced, and prayed.
Pope Francis ended his recent Middle East trip by celebrating mass at the Cenacle, amid a decades-long debate over prayer rites at the site where Christians believe Jesus had his Last Supper.
For Jews, it is the ground floor which is sacred, revered since the 12th century as the burial place of David, who ruled from Jerusalem, although the site has never been excavated and the contents of its sarcophagus are unknown.
The Cenacle is also where Christians believe that the Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost, 50 days after Easter.
"The Christians prayed at the tomb of king David, and for us this is blasphemy," one of the Jewish protesters, Shaga Brand, told AFP about Christian prayers there on Sunday, calling it a "provocation".
The protesters also hung placards in the nave accusing the government of lying by saying the Cenacle's status quo would remain unchanged and under Israeli authority.
Under Israeli law, Christians are only allowed to pray there twice a year, prompting efforts by the Vatican to negotiate greater access rights to what is one of the most sacred sites in Christendom.
Those attempts have sparked a major backlash by nationalist Jewish groups, many of whom wrongly believe Israel is poised to sign over sovereign rights to the site.
Several dozen radical Jews gathered Monday at the Jerusalem site known as the Cenacle to protest against Christian pilgrims praying there for Pentecost, a police spokeswoman said.
"Around 30 Jewish faithful gathered to pray in the presence of (rightwing Likud) MP Moshe Feiglin," Luba Samri told AFP.
The Cenacle, or Upper Room, on Mount Zion is in a two-story building considered holy to both Christians and Jews, who regard it as the place where the biblical figure David was buried.
An AFP photographer said Christian pilgrims and tourists were kept by police in one part of the church as Jews protested, danced, and prayed.
Pope Francis ended his recent Middle East trip by celebrating mass at the Cenacle, amid a decades-long debate over prayer rites at the site where Christians believe Jesus had his Last Supper.
For Jews, it is the ground floor which is sacred, revered since the 12th century as the burial place of David, who ruled from Jerusalem, although the site has never been excavated and the contents of its sarcophagus are unknown.
The Cenacle is also where Christians believe that the Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost, 50 days after Easter.
"The Christians prayed at the tomb of king David, and for us this is blasphemy," one of the Jewish protesters, Shaga Brand, told AFP about Christian prayers there on Sunday, calling it a "provocation".
The protesters also hung placards in the nave accusing the government of lying by saying the Cenacle's status quo would remain unchanged and under Israeli authority.
Under Israeli law, Christians are only allowed to pray there twice a year, prompting efforts by the Vatican to negotiate greater access rights to what is one of the most sacred sites in Christendom.
Those attempts have sparked a major backlash by nationalist Jewish groups, many of whom wrongly believe Israel is poised to sign over sovereign rights to the site.
6 june 2014
The Israeli and Palestinian presidents will plant an olive tree as a symbol of peace after an unprecedented prayer meeting with Pope Francis in the Vatican Gardens on Sunday amid high tensions in the Middle East.
The Vatican said it hoped the initiative launched by Francis, which will include Christian, Jewish and Muslim prayers and music, would have an impact on public opinion but stressed it would be a purely spiritual event.
Israeli President Shimon Peres and President Mahmoud Abbas will arrive separately to be greeted by Francis at the Vatican's St Martha Residence, where he lives.
They will be joined by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I, a spiritual leader of the Orthodox Christian world who is close to Francis.
The ceremony will begin at 1700 GMT, the Vatican said on Friday, specifying that prayers will be delivered in the chronological order of the founding of world's three main monotheistic religions: first Judaism, then Christianity and Islam.
The prayers from each of the three delegations will focus on three themes: "creation," "invocation for forgiveness," and "invocation for peace", the Vatican said.
"This is a pause from politics," said Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who is organizing the event and heads up the Franciscan order in the Middle East.
"The pope wanted to look beyond, upwards. Nobody is fooling themselves that peace will break out in the Holy Land, that this will bring peace closer. But this time to stop and breathe has been absent for some time," he said.
"This will not be an inter-religious prayer. We are not holding a joint prayer, we are meeting to pray," he said.
The Vatican said it hoped the initiative launched by Francis, which will include Christian, Jewish and Muslim prayers and music, would have an impact on public opinion but stressed it would be a purely spiritual event.
Israeli President Shimon Peres and President Mahmoud Abbas will arrive separately to be greeted by Francis at the Vatican's St Martha Residence, where he lives.
They will be joined by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I, a spiritual leader of the Orthodox Christian world who is close to Francis.
The ceremony will begin at 1700 GMT, the Vatican said on Friday, specifying that prayers will be delivered in the chronological order of the founding of world's three main monotheistic religions: first Judaism, then Christianity and Islam.
The prayers from each of the three delegations will focus on three themes: "creation," "invocation for forgiveness," and "invocation for peace", the Vatican said.
"This is a pause from politics," said Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, who is organizing the event and heads up the Franciscan order in the Middle East.
"The pope wanted to look beyond, upwards. Nobody is fooling themselves that peace will break out in the Holy Land, that this will bring peace closer. But this time to stop and breathe has been absent for some time," he said.
"This will not be an inter-religious prayer. We are not holding a joint prayer, we are meeting to pray," he said.
27 may 2014
A recent rights report has warned against escalating violations of both Israeli authorities and settlers against Islamic and Christian holy shrines in Palestine, amounting to 525 over the past five years.
According to Al Ray, “The Settlers’ Violence & Violations against The Islamic & Christian Holy Shrines in the Occupied Palestinian Territories” report was issued in Arabic by Vienna-based ‘Friends of Humanity International’ organization, Gaza-based Center for Political and Development Studies (CPDS), and the Beirut-based Palestinian Association for Human Rights “Witness”.
The report highlights the organizations in question, their means, their sponsors and implications, as well as the extent to which Israel as an occupying power is committed to protecting pilgrims to Islamic shrines.
Additionally, the report stated that the violations took place almost daily, ranging from closure of places of worship, arson of mosques and churches, depriving the Palestinians of the right of access to places of worship, vandalism and destruction of property, physical assault, verbal abuse, threats and racist graffiti.
Details of the report can be viewed at Al Ray.
Just today, Israeli nationalist organizations called for a march through Al Aqsa Mosque Compound, according to the Waqf Foundation in charge of the compund.
Thousands of Israeli Jews would attend, and police would close down roads in occupied East Jerusalem during the march.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld tweeted: "Police complete security assessments for tomorrow's "Jerusalem Day" celebrations, Ma'an reports, adding that hundreds of officers will be involved in security measures."
Al-Aqsa is located in East Jerusalem, a part of the internationally recognized Palestinian territories which have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967. It is the target of frequent attacks by settlers and soldiers alike, with violations ever increasing.
Also in Jerusalem, an unidentified arsonist started a fire in Dormition Abbey church, late Monday, near the Old City of Jerusalem, a bishop told Ma'an, noting that the attack took place just following a mass the Pope had conducted there, earlier in the day, the last of his official visit.
"Someone entered the church and went down to the crypt, took a book that is used by pilgrims to a small room next to the organ, and set some wood crosses on fire," the Benedictine Abbot of the church, Nikodemus Schnabel, told AFP.
The church has also been subjected to attacks in the past, according to Ma'an. In 2013, suspected Jewish vandals sprayed "Christians are monkeys" and "price tag" on the walls and slashed the tires of cars around the church.
The Israeli police said they were investigating the fire.
A small fire also broke out in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, on Tuesday, but Father Ibrahim Faltas, economist of the Custody of the Holy Land, told Ma'an that a candle holder accidentally fell causing a curtain to light on fire.
He said the that fire caused minor damage to the Grotto of the Nativity.
According to Al Ray, “The Settlers’ Violence & Violations against The Islamic & Christian Holy Shrines in the Occupied Palestinian Territories” report was issued in Arabic by Vienna-based ‘Friends of Humanity International’ organization, Gaza-based Center for Political and Development Studies (CPDS), and the Beirut-based Palestinian Association for Human Rights “Witness”.
The report highlights the organizations in question, their means, their sponsors and implications, as well as the extent to which Israel as an occupying power is committed to protecting pilgrims to Islamic shrines.
Additionally, the report stated that the violations took place almost daily, ranging from closure of places of worship, arson of mosques and churches, depriving the Palestinians of the right of access to places of worship, vandalism and destruction of property, physical assault, verbal abuse, threats and racist graffiti.
Details of the report can be viewed at Al Ray.
Just today, Israeli nationalist organizations called for a march through Al Aqsa Mosque Compound, according to the Waqf Foundation in charge of the compund.
Thousands of Israeli Jews would attend, and police would close down roads in occupied East Jerusalem during the march.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld tweeted: "Police complete security assessments for tomorrow's "Jerusalem Day" celebrations, Ma'an reports, adding that hundreds of officers will be involved in security measures."
Al-Aqsa is located in East Jerusalem, a part of the internationally recognized Palestinian territories which have been occupied by the Israeli military since 1967. It is the target of frequent attacks by settlers and soldiers alike, with violations ever increasing.
Also in Jerusalem, an unidentified arsonist started a fire in Dormition Abbey church, late Monday, near the Old City of Jerusalem, a bishop told Ma'an, noting that the attack took place just following a mass the Pope had conducted there, earlier in the day, the last of his official visit.
"Someone entered the church and went down to the crypt, took a book that is used by pilgrims to a small room next to the organ, and set some wood crosses on fire," the Benedictine Abbot of the church, Nikodemus Schnabel, told AFP.
The church has also been subjected to attacks in the past, according to Ma'an. In 2013, suspected Jewish vandals sprayed "Christians are monkeys" and "price tag" on the walls and slashed the tires of cars around the church.
The Israeli police said they were investigating the fire.
A small fire also broke out in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, on Tuesday, but Father Ibrahim Faltas, economist of the Custody of the Holy Land, told Ma'an that a candle holder accidentally fell causing a curtain to light on fire.
He said the that fire caused minor damage to the Grotto of the Nativity.
26 may 2014
Pope Francis, on his last day of a 3-day pilgrimage to the Holy Land, called for allowing all believers free access to holy sites in Jerusalem, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Late Sunday afternoon, Pope Francis arrived in Tel Aviv, where he urged Israeli President Shimon Peres and other authorities to adopt a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Al Ray has reported: Renewing the appeal made by former pontiff Benedict XVI, Pope Francis called for “universal recognition” of “the right of the State of Israel to exist and flourish in peace and security within internationally recognized borders.”
“At the same time, there must also be a recognition of the right of the Palestinian people to a sovereign homeland and their right to live with dignity and with freedom of movement. The 'Two State Solution' must become reality and not remain merely a dream,” he urged those gathered at the Ben Gourion Airport in Tel Aviv on May 25.
During his visit with Peres, WAFA reports that Pope Francis expressed his hope for Jerusalem to truly be the City of Peace, saying “how good it is when pilgrims and residents can enjoy free access to the Holy Places and can freely take part in the religious celebrations.”
Late Sunday afternoon, Pope Francis arrived in Tel Aviv, where he urged Israeli President Shimon Peres and other authorities to adopt a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Al Ray has reported: Renewing the appeal made by former pontiff Benedict XVI, Pope Francis called for “universal recognition” of “the right of the State of Israel to exist and flourish in peace and security within internationally recognized borders.”
“At the same time, there must also be a recognition of the right of the Palestinian people to a sovereign homeland and their right to live with dignity and with freedom of movement. The 'Two State Solution' must become reality and not remain merely a dream,” he urged those gathered at the Ben Gourion Airport in Tel Aviv on May 25.
During his visit with Peres, WAFA reports that Pope Francis expressed his hope for Jerusalem to truly be the City of Peace, saying “how good it is when pilgrims and residents can enjoy free access to the Holy Places and can freely take part in the religious celebrations.”
An arsonist set fire to a Catholic church Monday at a contested site in Jerusalem during a visit by Pope Francis, the spokesman for the Abbey of the Dormition told AFP.
"Someone entered the church, went down to the crypt, picked up a book used by pilgrims and took it to the small room near the organ and set it on fire, burning wooden crosses," Brother Nikodemus Schnabel said, just after Francis celebrated mass next door at the Upper Room in Mount Zion.
"Someone entered the church, went down to the crypt, picked up a book used by pilgrims and took it to the small room near the organ and set it on fire, burning wooden crosses," Brother Nikodemus Schnabel said, just after Francis celebrated mass next door at the Upper Room in Mount Zion.
Late Sunday afternoon Pope Francis arrived in Tel Aviv, where he urged Israeli President Shimon Peres and other authorities to adopt a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Renewing the appeal made by former pontiff Benedict XVI, Pope Francis called for “universal recognition” of “the right of the State of Israel to exist and flourish in peace and security within internationally recognized borders.”
“At the same time, there must also be a recognition of the right of the Palestinian people to a sovereign homeland and their right to live with dignity and with freedom of movement. The 'Two State Solution' must become reality and not remain merely a dream,” he urged those gathered at the Ben Gourion Airport in Tel Aviv on May 25.
The Pope’s speech to Palestinian leaders in Bethlehem early in the day expressed the same call for a peaceful solution.
Pope Francis reiterated his invitation to prayer in the Vatican, which he had also offered to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Both Abbas and Peres have accepted and will join him sometime in June.
The Pontiff noted improving relations between the Vatican and the State of Israel, expressing his prayerful best wishes to “all the people of Israel” that “their aspirations of peace and prosperity will achieve fulfillment.
He described his journey as a pilgrimage to a land of “immense spiritual significance for a great part of humanity,” praying that “this blessed land may be one which has no place for those who, by exploiting and absolutizing the value of their own religious tradition, prove intolerant and violent towards those of others.”
Pope Francis’ words were emphatic, imploring “those in positions of responsibility to leave no stone unturned in the search for equitable solutions to complex problems.”
“The path of dialogue, reconciliation and peace must constantly be taken up anew, courageously and tirelessly. There is simply no other way,” he stressed.
Before his speech, the Holy Father had been welcomed by both Israeli President Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu spoke of his gratitude to Pope Francis for his closeness to the Jewish people, particularly visible in his co-authorship of a book with Argentinian Rabbi Abraham Skorka.
The Prime Minister assured the Pontiff of Israel’s desire for peace, describing the state as an “island of tolerance” where they are committed to freedom of religion.
Pope Francis also acknowledged his desire to “promote an education in which exclusion and confrontation give way to inclusion and encounter.”
He lamented the many victims of anti-semitism in the Holocaust, saying, “I beg God that there will never be another such crime, which also counted among its victims many Christians and others.”
The pontiff closed his remarks by offering “a warm and fraternal greeting” to the local bishops and Christian faithful – assuring them that they are in his prayers.
“I encourage them to persevere in their quiet witness of faith and hope in the service of reconciliation and forgiveness, following the teaching and example of the Lord Jesus, who gave his life to bring about peace between God and man, and between brothers,” he said.
“At the same time, there must also be a recognition of the right of the Palestinian people to a sovereign homeland and their right to live with dignity and with freedom of movement. The 'Two State Solution' must become reality and not remain merely a dream,” he urged those gathered at the Ben Gourion Airport in Tel Aviv on May 25.
The Pope’s speech to Palestinian leaders in Bethlehem early in the day expressed the same call for a peaceful solution.
Pope Francis reiterated his invitation to prayer in the Vatican, which he had also offered to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Both Abbas and Peres have accepted and will join him sometime in June.
The Pontiff noted improving relations between the Vatican and the State of Israel, expressing his prayerful best wishes to “all the people of Israel” that “their aspirations of peace and prosperity will achieve fulfillment.
He described his journey as a pilgrimage to a land of “immense spiritual significance for a great part of humanity,” praying that “this blessed land may be one which has no place for those who, by exploiting and absolutizing the value of their own religious tradition, prove intolerant and violent towards those of others.”
Pope Francis’ words were emphatic, imploring “those in positions of responsibility to leave no stone unturned in the search for equitable solutions to complex problems.”
“The path of dialogue, reconciliation and peace must constantly be taken up anew, courageously and tirelessly. There is simply no other way,” he stressed.
Before his speech, the Holy Father had been welcomed by both Israeli President Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu spoke of his gratitude to Pope Francis for his closeness to the Jewish people, particularly visible in his co-authorship of a book with Argentinian Rabbi Abraham Skorka.
The Prime Minister assured the Pontiff of Israel’s desire for peace, describing the state as an “island of tolerance” where they are committed to freedom of religion.
Pope Francis also acknowledged his desire to “promote an education in which exclusion and confrontation give way to inclusion and encounter.”
He lamented the many victims of anti-semitism in the Holocaust, saying, “I beg God that there will never be another such crime, which also counted among its victims many Christians and others.”
The pontiff closed his remarks by offering “a warm and fraternal greeting” to the local bishops and Christian faithful – assuring them that they are in his prayers.
“I encourage them to persevere in their quiet witness of faith and hope in the service of reconciliation and forgiveness, following the teaching and example of the Lord Jesus, who gave his life to bring about peace between God and man, and between brothers,” he said.
Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority president, is to visit the Vatican on 6 June at the invitation of Pope Francis. The official Palestinian news agency WAFA quoted Nabil Abu Rudaina, the PA presidency spokesman, on Sunday night as saying that Abbas welcomed the invitation by Pope Francis during their meeting in Bethlehem earlier Sunday.
Abu Rudaina said that Abbas welcomed the invitation in view of the Pope’s keenness on supporting peace and peace prospects in the Middle East.
The Israeli radio earlier said that the Pope addressed a similar invitation to Israeli president Shimon Peres to visit the Vatican.
Abu Rudaina said that Abbas welcomed the invitation in view of the Pope’s keenness on supporting peace and peace prospects in the Middle East.
The Israeli radio earlier said that the Pope addressed a similar invitation to Israeli president Shimon Peres to visit the Vatican.
