The Holy Land Thread

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Biff
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Antisemitism

Post by Biff »

Del wrote: 24 Dec 2022, 12:25 Christians in Palestine are caught in the crossfire.
There are no Christians in 'Palestine' because there is no Palestine. There is only Israel.

Christians in greater Israel are quite fine. Arab Christians under the thumb of the various terror outfits are in trouble always.
Here I stand. I can do no other. :flags-wavegreatbritain: :flags-canada:
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Antisemitism

Post by Del »

Biff wrote: 24 Dec 2022, 15:27
Del wrote: 24 Dec 2022, 12:25 Christians in Palestine are caught in the crossfire.
There are no Christians in 'Palestine' because there is no Palestine. There is only Israel.

Christians in greater Israel are quite fine. Arab Christians under the thumb of the various terror outfits are in trouble always.
Christians in Palestine suffer persecution by Moslems because they are not Moslem.

Christians in Palestine suffer persecution from Israelis because they are Palestinian, and all Palestinians are feared as terrorists.

Christians are a minority in Palestine, only 3% of the population. But they are are a minority that is critical to sustaining peace in the Holy Land, because they have the support of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre and Christian pilgrims from all over the world. We run schools that Moslem families respect and send their children to. We provide much of the charity care for all people in the Holy Land.
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Holy Land Peace

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+JMJ+

As hardliners take power in Israel, church leaders warn of anti-Christian discrimination

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(Source: Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem)

ROME — As concerns mount over Israel’s new hardline government, believed to be the most right-wing and nationalistic in the country’s history, church leaders in the Holy Land have lamented increased discrimination against the Christian community and urged youth not to leave.

In their annual Christmas message, the patriarchs and heads of churches in Jerusalem said Jesus through his incarnation and birth in Bethlehem “revealed to humanity the deep and abiding love of God for all his people” and he also “joined in the world’s suffering, enduring with the Holy Family the many struggles of life under occupation.”

These struggles, they said, included “threats of violence, forced registration, family displacement, and existence as refugees in a foreign land.”

Two centuries later, similar woes continue to afflict the world through violent conflicts across the world, such as the war in Ukraine and ongoing violence in Armenia, Syria, and “throughout the Hold Land itself,” they said.

“In this regard, we express our special concern for those faithful who remain as the Christian remnant in the land of our Lord’s birth,” they said, noting that Christians living in the Holy Land in recent years “have increasingly faced assaults on their free exercise of religion.”

These assaults, they said, include “attacks against their person, defamation of their churches and cemeteries, unwarranted restrictions against their attendance in worship, and legal threats against their possession and management of church properties.”

“Such a disheartening atmosphere has led to a lack of hope, especially among our Christian youth, who increasingly feel unwelcome in the land where their ancestors have dwelt since even before the birth of the Church on Pentecost,” the church leaders said.

As a result of this oppression, many young people are leaving in search of “places of greater opportunity,” meaning the Christian presence in the Holy Land, which makes up roughly two percent of the general population, is diminishing even further.

[…]

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A man carries wooden crosses near the entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem’s Old City Feb. 28, 2018. (Credit: CNS/Ammar Awad, Reuters)

In their Christmas message, the patriarchs and church leaders of the Holy Land made an appeal to young people to stay, despite the mounting challenges they face.

For those weighing their options, “we offer the incarnational message of Christ’s birth as a beacon of hope, reminding us all that our Lord continues to suffer both with us and for us, leading us to new life in the light of his Risen Glory,” they said.

“Moreover, with the larger Body of Christ forming our Savior’s arms and legs in the world, our churches continue to offer places of solace, strength, and support through their worship services, their ministries of education and healthcare, their pilgrimage centers, and their opportunities for meaningful employment,” they said.

[…]

With Christmas just a few days away, they also urged Christians around the world to support “adherence to the religious Status Quo,” which regulates shared communal access to holy sites among the various religious communities in Israel and Palestine.

They also urged Christians to continue working and praying for “a lasting peace” in the Holy Land and other war-torn areas of the world, so that “the blessed message of hope” proclaimed by the angel to the shepherds around Bethlehem at Christ’s birth “may more and more be realized throughout the earth.”

Christmas Message -2022- [PDF]
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Last edited by Wosbald on 29 Jan 2023, 10:26, edited 1 time in total.


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Holy Land Peace

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This Christmas, Holy Land Christians need Americans to remember them [News Analysis]

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Palestinian Catholic Andrew Bannoura from Bethlehem lights a candle in the grotto of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, West Bank, Dec. 15. (CNS/Debbie Hill)

As Christmas approaches, our hearts naturally turn toward Bethlehem. As was true at the time of Christ's birth, Bethlehem is an occupied city. This time it is not occupied by Romans, but rather by the modern state of Israel. Bethlehem lies in the occupied West Bank that was captured by Israel in the war of 1967.

I have visited Bethlehem many times. The visits were always both sobering and joyful experiences. Sometimes passage through the imposing security barrier or separation wall that divides Bethlehem from Jerusalem, a scant 6 miles away, was relatively routine. At other times, it was harrowing, as armed Israeli soldiers boarded our bus or required us to take a circuitous route through armed checkpoints into David's City.

Of course, the journey always had its joyful aspects: the visit to the Church of the Nativity and meetings with the local Palestinian Christian community. The resilience of the Christian community in Bethlehem and throughout the Holy Land awed me.

During the recent November 2022 plenary assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa addressed the full body of prelates. The remarks and presence of the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem were not widely reported. The press release that recapped the meeting made no reference to the patriarch. After the assembly, the bishops' official account tweeted an "in case you missed it" video of the patriarch's remarks.

U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops @USCCB | Twitter [Video: 17 min]
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The patriarch's public address to the bishops' gathering was pastoral in tone and content, and focused on the "reality of the Holy Land." His talk was also a blinking red light of the dangers facing the Christian community and the deteriorating politics of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.

Pizzaballa observed that Christians are about 1% of the population now (down from about 10% in 1948). The main reason for the continued decline in the Christian population is the lack of economic opportunity, a consequence of the political situation.

The patriarch argued that the declining presence of Christians is making it more and more difficult to make the "Christian character" of the Holy Land visible.

The places of Christian pilgrimage are being maintained, but the "living stones" of the native Palestinian Christian community are gradually crumbling away. This is not only tragic for Christians; it is also tragic for Jews and Muslims. The Christian community is the proverbial "canary in the mine." Its waning presence is a sign of the intensity of the underlying political conflict that has consequences for Jews, Christians and Muslims alike.

Pizzaballa bemoaned the lack of Israeli–Palestinian peace negotiations and of prospects for such talks. He said the failure of past "so-called agreements" has led to a lack of trust needed for negotiations to succeed.

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Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, speaks during a Nov. 16 session of the fall general assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Baltimore. (CNS/Bob Roller)

[…]

The patriarch was candid about the weakness of the Palestinian side as a negotiating partner. He described the incoming Israeli government as the most "right-wing" government in Israel's history, with Benjamin Netanyahu, a staunch conservative and the likely future prime minister, being considered the most moderate partner in the coalition. Pizzaballa singled out the existence of "very right-wing religious Zionist parties." This rightward tilt has potentially catastrophic consequences for Israelis and Palestinians, and for the church in particular.

The patriarch declared: "The future of Jerusalem is not a Jerusalem for Jews, or for Muslims, or for Christians, but to be the city where Jews, Christians and Muslims are at home with the same rights."

He closed imploring the bishops "not to forget Jerusalem." The church in the United States must not forget the Mother Church of Jerusalem.

The context of the patriarch's remarks to the U.S. bishops is significant. Last December, the Patriarchs and Heads of Local Churches in Jerusalem issued a statement on the "Current Threat to the Christian Presence in the Holy Land."

The statement began with this sweeping declaration: "Throughout the Holy Land, Christians have become the target of frequent and sustained attacks by fringe radical groups."

The church leaders cited "physical and verbal assaults" on clergy, attacks on churches, vandalization of holy sites, "intimidation" of local Christians, "underhanded" property transactions to displace Christians from the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem, and disruption of the "historic pilgrim routes between Bethlehem and Jerusalem."

"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," they said.

The statement did acknowledge the "declared commitment of the Israeli government to uphold a safe and secure home for Christians in the Holy Land," but noted the "failure of local politicians, officials and law enforcement agencies to curb the activities of radical groups." These are the "right-wing" radicals, settler and extreme Zionist groups to which the patriarch alluded.

Vatican News reported on the statement under the headline "Church leaders warn against threat to Christian presence in Holy Land." The Vatican article singled out the public support for the besieged church in the Holy Land offered by the World Council of Churches and the U.S.-based Churches for Middle East Peace.

Since the threat to the Christian presence was named a year ago, there have been other high-profile incidents. The Patriarchs and Heads of Local Churches in Jerusalem condemned:
  • The seizure of the "Little Petra Hotel" near the Jaffa gate in March 2022 as "a threat to the continued existence of a Christian Quarter in Jerusalem";
  • The "violent intrusion" of Israeli police into the funeral procession of slain Palestinian–American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh;
  • A planned review by the British government aimed at moving its embassy to Jerusalem.
This Dec. 12, the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land issued a statement expressing their concern "about the gradual deterioration of the general social and political situation in the Holy Land."

The last time the U.S. bishops issued a statement on Israel and Palestine was in May 2021. The chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace responded to the eruption of violence near the Al-Aqsa compound in Jerusalem, located on the Temple Mount. The bishops' statement called for "upholding the Status Quo of the Holy Places" and affirmed the "equal dignity of every people."

Shortly after the bishops' November 2022 assembly, there was a brief reaffirmation of support for a "just political solution — a secure and recognized Israel living in peace alongside a viable and independent Palestine" in a statement by the Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs on the Jewish community and antisemitism.

What does the church of Jerusalem need from the church in the United States? The church in the Holy Land needs us "not to forget" the church in Jerusalem. It needs the church in the United States to be more proactive.

The Christians of the Holy Land need the church in the United States to urge our government to insist that Israeli authorities confront the actions of radical actors and extreme settlers who threaten both the Christian presence and the possibility of a just peace. Only then can Jews, Christians and Muslims prosper together in the land that is sacred to all three faith communities. Only then can Israelis and Palestinians achieve a just peace that respects the rights of all.


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Holy Land Peace / Fratelli Tutti

Post by Wosbald »

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Pope Francis makes urgent appeal for peace in Holy Land

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Israeli security personnel work at a scene where a suspected incident of shooting attack took place, police spokesman said, just outside Jerusalem's Old City Jan. 28, 2023.

Pope Francis today made an urgent, passionate appeal to the Israeli and Palestinian governments, and to the international community, to find ways “immediately and without delay” to dialogue and search for the attainment of peace in the Holy Land.

He did so as he greeted thousands of pilgrims at midday on Sunday, Jan.29, and drew their attention to the violence and killings that have rocked the Holy Land over the past week.

“With great sorrow I received the news that comes from the Holy Land, in particular of the news of the deaths of 10 Palestinians, including a woman, killed by actions of the Israeli anti-terrorism forces in Palestine, and of what happened near Jerusalem on Friday evening when seven Israeli Jews were killed by a Palestinian, and three were wounded coming out from the synagogue,” he said.

[…]

“The sowing of killing that takes place day by day does nothing except close the few openings of trust that exist between the two peoples,” Pope Francis said.

He recalled that “since the beginning of the year tens of Palestinians have been killed in the gunfire clashes with the Israeli forces.” The BBC report that “since the start of January, 30 Palestinians, both militants and civilians, have been killed in the [occupied] West Bank.”

Pope Francis concluded by issuing a heartfelt appeal to the Israeli and Palestinian governments and the international community to take action immediately.

“I appeal to the two governments and to the international community that they find immediately, without delay, other ways that lead to dialogue and the search for the attainment of peace,” he said. His appeal reflects his deep concern, one shared by many observers, that the situation in the Holy Land could deteriorate rapidly into a wider conflict, given that Israel now is governed by the most right-wing government in its history.

The pope invited people to pray that his appeal be heard. “Brothers and sisters, let us pray for this,” he said.


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Fascism

Post by Wosbald »

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Israel's government moves to the far right [Podcast, Audio]

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the scene of a shooting attack in Neve Yaacov which lies on occupied land that Israel annexed to Jerusalem after the 1967 Middle East war January 27, 2023. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (Ronen Zvulun/Reuters)

Israel's government moves to the far right [Podcast: 25 min]
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Over the past month, Israelis have taken to the streets in massive demonstrations. They're opposed to Prime Minister Netanyahu's new plan to limit the power of the Supreme Court and worry about what that means for minority rights and Israeli democracy.

Today, we will talk about the make-up of Netanyahu's new coalition government and why that has protestors so concerned. We'll talk about Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir who has been convicted of incitement to racism and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich who has described himself as a homophobe.

Yair Rosenberg is a staff writer for The Atlantic and he'll explain what's behind the government's shift rightward, what it means for democracy, and how it moves Israelis and Palestinians even further from a two-state solution.


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Fascism

Post by Del »

Wosbald wrote: 01 Feb 2023, 10:59 +JMJ+

Israel's government moves to the far right [Podcast, Audio]

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the scene of a shooting attack in Neve Yaacov which lies on occupied land that Israel annexed to Jerusalem after the 1967 Middle East war January 27, 2023. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (Ronen Zvulun/Reuters)

Israel's government moves to the far right [Podcast: 25 min]
Image

Over the past month, Israelis have taken to the streets in massive demonstrations. They're opposed to Prime Minister Netanyahu's new plan to limit the power of the Supreme Court and worry about what that means for minority rights and Israeli democracy.

Today, we will talk about the make-up of Netanyahu's new coalition government and why that has protestors so concerned. We'll talk about Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir who has been convicted of incitement to racism and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich who has described himself as a homophobe.

Yair Rosenberg is a staff writer for The Atlantic and he'll explain what's behind the government's shift rightward, what it means for democracy, and how it moves Israelis and Palestinians even further from a two-state solution.
Whenever the far-left media (Atlantic, CBC) accuse anyone of moving to the "far right," we just naturally assume that they must be doing something right.

I know it's hard to find reliable news commentary (and wosbald doesn't seem to have ever heard of any), but can this view be verified in any way?

Short answer is that the Palestinian Authority refused to come to the table when they were offered something like $50 billion or $80 billion in infrastructure aid from Arab nations, just to talk about a two-state peace agreement with Israel. Key actors like Saudi Arabia realized that there was no use trying to work with the Palestinians anymore. It was much more important to cooperate with Israel against their common adversary in Iran.

The offer of a Two State Solution was available to the Palestinians, and they blew it. I don't know if it will be offered again. Probably, if they ever will want it.

Trump and Kushner arranged the Abraham Accords. Now we don't have anyone on the world stage with that degree of diplomatic skills.
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The Holy Land Thread

Post by Hovannes »

If you visit the Holy Land take a package of tortillas with you.
Many of the holy sites are tended to by Franciscans from Mexico.
They'll appreciate the gift.
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Fascism

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Government

Post by Del »

Ummm.... Because I am an American, I would like to see something more than a majority vote in our legislature to overrule a Supreme Court decision (even one so deplorable as Roe v. Wade, which caused the deaths of 60 million children). But if their Supreme Court is just another political legislative body and subject to present political whims.... then I'm okay with a legislative vote to balance them. I hope they can come up with a balanced system.

I guess the modern political rule of Israel has some peripheral connection to the Holy Land & its history, the holy pilgrim sites, and the remnant of ancient Christians who still dwell there. But not much. This news belongs in a political thread elsewhere. Please don't start one.
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