Palestine Urges Israel to Stop Attacks on Christian Property
Jerusalem, MINA – Palestine urges the international community to take immediate action and condemn Israeli crimes and attacks on Christian property and take concrete steps to defend Christian holy sites and Christian presence in Jerusalem and occupied Palestine.
“I am writing to draw your urgent attention to the targeted and increasing Israeli crimes and systematic aggression against Christian Holy Sites, property, Palestinian Christians, and thousands of years of Christian heritage in the occupied Palestinian Territories, including Jerusalem,” said Ramai Khouri, Head of the Committee. Palestinian High Presidency for Church Affairs in a letter delivered through the Palestinian Embassy in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Khouri said attacks on Christian holy sites, property, heritage and identity constitute violations of international law, which explicitly calls for the protection of religious sites in Jerusalem and the need to respect the human right to worship freely. especially in Jerusalem, the city that witnessed the most important events in Christian history and faith.
“Therefore, we ask for urgent intervention and support to fight against all efforts that threaten the existence of Christianity in Palestine and undermine the integral role of Christianity in Palestinian society and our territory,” he said.
“Israel also threatens to degrade the situation further and trigger a religious war aimed at expelling Palestinian Christians from our homes, our churches and our Holy Land,” he added.
In recent months, the Heads of the Church in Jerusalem have issued dozens of statements condemning Israel’s increasing attacks on Christian and Muslim Holy sites, which are undermining the Status Quo and its uniqueness, spiritual, religious and cultural identity of occupied Jerusalem.
During Israel’s prolonged belligerent occupation, Palestinian Christians suffered the consequences of discriminatory Israeli policies and practices, including illegal confiscation of land, confiscation of property, restrictions on freedom of worship, attacks on holy sites, in addition to persecution and harassment of religious figures.
Since the beginning of this year, Palestinian Christians have witnessed an alarming increase in hostility and attacks by extremist Jewish settlers, including physical and verbal abuse, vandalism, and attacks on churches on a daily basis.
This year, countless hate crimes against Christians were documented in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including Jerusalem. (T/RE1/P2)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
