WASHINGTON, DC, Jun 20, 01 (CWNews.com/Fides) - The US National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) last week urged Israel and Palestinians to return to the negotiation table, and they condemned all violence and said that the rights of both sides must be understood and respected.
In a strongly worded resolution, the bishops said that Palestinians «rightly insist» on an end to Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza and the practice of establishing and expanding settlements in the territories. Likewise, they stated that the Israelis «rightly see» the failure of Palestinians to respect Israel's right to exist and flourish within secure borders as a cause of the conflict.
The resolution was issued after Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah of Jerusalem called for constant support from the Catholic world for a solution to the Middle East crisis. In the resolution, the American bishops reaffirmed their concern for and solidarity with the dwindling Christian community in the Holy Land: «The native born Christian presence in Israel and the occupied territories, less than 2 percent of the total, risks shrinking into insignificance, in no small part due to the present troubles and their human and economic consequences,» the bishops resolved.
They added, «We believe this is a moment that requires that more Israeli leaders and supporters of the State of Israel not only defend Israel and her people, but also advocate the legitimate aspiration of Palestinians to live in their own homeland with dignity.» At the same time, they said, «This moment also requires that more Palestinian leaders and supporters of the Palestinian cause not simply advocate a state of their own, but also be unambiguously clear about Israel's right to peace and security, and the imperative to end all violence.»
Lastly, the bishops strongly called on America's over 60 million Catholics to pay greater attention to the Middle East crisis and to be «unflagging in pressing our government to play an active and constructive role in the search for a just peace.»
Catholic World News Service - Daily News Briefs
20. juni 2001