Christian Leaders play anti-Israel political games in Jerusalem

 

The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem (Christian Leaders) request for an urgent dialogue with “Israel, Palestine and Jordan” on protecting the Christian community in Jerusalem and the integrity of the Christian Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem – is an anti-Israel political ploy that should be rejected by Israel.

The requested dialogue is clearly against Israel’s national interest for the following reasons: 

• The Christian Leaders acknowledged that threats to Christians were not limited to Jerusalem only - but extended to Christians throughout the Holy Land:
  
  

  ”Throughout the Holy Land Christians have become the target of frequent and sustained attacks by fringe radical groups. Since 2012 there have been countless incidents of physical and verbal assaults against priests and other clergy, attacks on Christian churches, with holy sites regularly vandalized and desecrated, and ongoing intimidation of local Christians who simply seek to worship freely and go about their daily lives. These tactics are being used by such radical groups in a systematic attempt to drive the Christian community out of Jerusalem and other parts of the Holy Land.”

• Inviting “Palestine and Jordan” to participate in a dialogue solely on Jerusalem was a blatant attempt by these Christian Leaders to undermine Israel’s sovereignty in Jerusalem by replacing Israel as the sole Authority responsible for ensuring the security and safety of the Christian community in Jerusalem.

• Israel’s Christian community actually grew by 1.4 percent in 2020 and now numbers some 182,000 people

Certainly Israel should meet with these Christian Leaders to address and allay their concerns in relation to threats to the Christian community in Jerusalem. 

However these same Christian Leaders have not called for dialogues with “Palestine” and Jordan to deal with similar threats affecting their respective Christian communities. Failure to do so makes a mockery of these Christian Leaders expressed concerns for Christians living outside Jerusalem.

The Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem comprise:

His Beatitude Theophilos III
Patriarch of Jerusalem
Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem

His Beatitude Patriarch Fuad Twal
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem
Latin Patriarchate

His Beatitude Patriarch Nourhan Manougian
Armenian Patriarch
Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem

His Grace Archbishop Dr Anba Abraham
Coptic Orthodox Archbishop
Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem & the Near East

Very Rev. Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa
Custos of the Holy Land
Custody of the Holy Land

Bishop Munib A. Yunnan
Lutheran Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land

Bishop Suheil Dawani
Archbishop
Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East

His Grace Archbishop Abba Kwestos
Ethiopian Orthodox Archbishop
Ethiopian Orthodox Patriarchate

His Grace Archbishop Mar Swerios Malki Murad
Syrian Orthodox Archbishop
Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate

Archbishop Joseph – Jules Zerey
General Patriarchal Vicar in Jerusalem
Greek Melkite Catholic Church

His Eminence Msgr. George Chihan
Patriarchal Administrator
Maronite Archdiocese of Haifa and the Holy Land

His Grace Bishop Gregor Peter Malki
Syrian Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate
Syrian Catholic Church

His Excellency Monsenieur Joseph Kallekelian
Armenian Catholic Patriarchal Exarchate
Armenian Catholic Church

These venerable clergymen should surely be also focusing on threats to Christians and Christian property not only in the Holy Land - but throughout the Middle East. Yet these communities did not rate a mention in their statement (see image below).

Threats to Christians and Christian properties are also increasing in Europe and America.

All threats against Christians – wherever occurring - must be condemned and ended.

Playing anti-Israel political games in Jerusalem at the expense of safeguarding their communities’ security and safety there by working closely with Israel is a foolhardy decision by these Christian Leaders and also runs the risk of fuelling Christian anti-Jewish hatred in Jerusalem.

These Christian Leaders are on a hiding to nothing for their highly irresponsible action.

Author’s note: The cartoon — commissioned exclusively for this article — is by Yaakov Kirschen aka “Dry Bones”- one of Israel’s foremost political and social commentators — whose cartoons have graced the columns of Israeli and international media publications for decades.

"State of Palestine" set to confront Trump at United Nations

[Published 22 January 2019]

The bizarre Handover ceremony of Egypt’s Chairmanship of the Group of 77 to the “State of Palestine” for 2019 will enable this non-existent and non-member State of the United Nations to play a leading role in the 74 years old farce — “The Question of Palestine and the United Nations” (PUN).

“The State of Palestine” does not meet the criteria for statehood required under the 1933 Montevideo Convention.

The Group of 77 (“the Bloc”) contains 133 of the 193 member states of the United Nations — ensuring the automatic passage of all United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolutions they propose.

UNGA Resolution A/RES/73/5 - adopted on 16 October 2018 — put this illusory “State of Palestine” center stage for PUN’s 2019 New York season — recognizing it as the Bloc’s public face in all matters brought before UNGA and at meetings of representatives of other major groups.

146 countries voted for this Resolution whilst only three - Israel, the U.S. and Australia - voted against, 15 countries abstained and the remaining 29 states did not vote.

US Deputy UN Ambassador Jonathan Cohen called out the hypocrisy of the vote:

“We cannot support efforts by the Palestinians to enhance their status outside of direct negotiations. The United States does not recognize that there is a Palestinian state…Only U.N. member states should be entitled to speak and act on behalf of major groups of states at the United Nations.”

Australia’s UN Ambassador Gillian Bird asserted:

“Australia’s decision to vote no on this resolution reflects our long-standing position that Palestinian attempts to seek recognition as a state in international fora are deeply unhelpful to efforts towards a two-state solution.”

The Handover Ceremony took place in the presence of UNGA President Ms. Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, UN Secretary General Mr. António Gutteres, Mahmoud Abbas — the self-styled “President of the State of Palestine” (formerly called “the Palestinian Authority” before Abbas unilaterally changed its name in 2013) and Bloc members.

Mr. Gutteres’ 12 minute speech contained this politically-charged statement:

“Palestine and its citizens have first-hand experience of some of the most challenging and dramatic global issues at force”

Regrettably the Secretary General failed to elaborate on where he believed “Palestine” is located, who he considers are its citizens, its capital, the area it controls and its current government.

The Handover Ceremony included a 1 hour concert featuring live performances of Astor Piazzolla’s “Oblivion”, a Brahms sonata for violin and piano, five works by three Egyptian composers extending over 26 minutes and just 4 minutes of “Palestinian folk songs” whose provenance was not mentioned in the program notes.

One Egyptian composition - “Lessa Faker” — aptly describes the path UNGA needs to take to end this blatant “State of Palestine” fakery that flagrantly violates international law.

“Foreign Minister” of the “State of Palestine” Riyad Malki has impertinently predicted:

”...we are confident that [the Bloc] will support the Palestinians when it [sic] time comes for negotiations and the US will find out that it cannot ignore Palestine.”

Malki’s claim is risible.

America has denied the existence of any State of Palestine for the last seven decades. President Trump has closed the PLO diplomatic offices in Washington and ceased America’s annual payments of $360 million to UNRWA. The PLO refuses to entertain any Trump peace proposals designed to end the Arab-Jewish conflict.

President Trump’s response could well see him consigning the “State of Palestine” to diplomatic oblivion to the accompanying strains of Piazzolla’s Oblivion — with the United Nations left lamenting at the wake that it holds for the phantom State.

This is truly Theatre of the Absurd - Multilateralism gone mad.

Author’s note: The cartoon — commissioned exclusively for this article — is by Yaakov Kirschen aka “Dry Bones” - one of Israel’s foremost political and social commentators — whose cartoons have graced the columns of Israeli and international media publications for decades. His cartoons can be viewed at Drybonesblog