PALESTINIAN ARCHBISHOP LEADS ANTI-ISRAEL DEMO

Al Quds (Jerusalem), 25 Jumadil Awal 1434/6 April 2013 (MINA) – A Palestinian Archbishop Atallah Hanna on Thursday (4/4) led a demonstration in Al Quds city criticized Israeli government in the death case of Hebron resident, Maysara Abu Hamdiyeh.

The demonstrations followed by Al Quds Christians citizens and dozens of activists in Palestine at International Red Cross office in the heart of Al Quds, Maan reported as monitored by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA) in Jakarta.

“We all are citizens of Al Quds. If Palestinians are suffering, we are also feeling the same. Abu Hamdiyeh’s death caused by Israeli barbarity is a blow to all of us, the Palestinians,” said Hanna.

As a citizens of Al Quds, Hanna wanted to show to the world that Christians who lived in Al Quds also feel the pain, as well as Muslims due to the Israeli occupation in Palestine.

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“We are in the heart of Jerusalem expressing solidarity with all our detainees, especially our Hebron people who lost detainee,” he added.

“Through this action, we condemn the Israeli government over its treatment to the Palestinian detainees. We will not forget them. We will continue our struggle to set them free from Israeli occupation,” he added.

Since Israel began its occupation on Palestinian land in 1967, over 750,000 Palestinians have been detained. That number represents about 20 percent of the total population of Palestine today. That number also represents about 40 percent of men from the total population in the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel.

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According to the Institute for Human Rights and the Palestinian Prisoner Affairs, Addameer, in 2013 the total number of Palestinian in Israeli prisons are 4812 people. The majority of those arrested are residents of the West Bank (82.5%), 9.6% came from the Gaza Strip, and the others comes from the city of Al-Quds (Jerusalem) as well as those who live in the Palestinian territories which occupied since 1948 are now known as Israel territory.

Atallah Hanna was born in 1965 in Al-Quds (Jerusalem). He was appointed as Archbishop of Sebastia in the church of the Holy Sepulcher (Patriarchate Orthodox) Jerusalem since December 24, 2005.

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Atallah Hanna had studied in Greece and get his Master of Theology from Thessalonica University in 1991. He then returned to Jerusalem and was appointed as the head of the Church. In his daily activities, he is spokesman and a director of Arabic Patriarchate, and taught at some local Christian schools. He is also a lecturer of Christian College in Haifa. He was given the honorary degree of Doctor Honouris Causa by the Theological Institute, Bulgaria.

Hanna-known as a highly vocal in criticizing Israeli policies, especially about the building of settlements. He was arrested, detained and interrogated several times by the Israeli government with a variety of charges. (T/P04/P03)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)