Rateb Y. Rabie, KCHS
President/CEO
Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation
6935 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 518
Bethesda, Maryland 20815, USA
Tel: 301-951-9400
Fax: 301 951-9402
E-mail: rabie@hcef.org
Website: www.hcef.org
http://www.hcef.org/publications/hcef-news/790793945-the-patriarch-of-jerusalem-brings-the-crisis-of-gaza-to-the-white-house
| The Patriarch of Jerusalem Brings the Crisis of Gaza to the White House |
| Friday, 25 July 2014 05:48 |
July 24, 2014- His Beatitude Fouad Twal, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, met with White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, and Counselor to the President John Podesta, this morning to discuss the situation of the Christians in the Holy Land, specifically in the context of the crisis in Gaza. Father Michael McDonagh, International Advisor to the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and Sir Rateb Y. Rabie, KCHS President/CEO of the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation (HCEF) accompanied His Beatitude to the White House.
HCEF
organized His Beatitude's U.S.A. visit in order to meet with civic,
religious and political leaders and advocate for peace and justice,
helping them improve upon policies formerly based on distorted facts.
The
frank and open discussion began with a timely focus on the desperate
situation in Gaza, where the excessive force exerted by Israel
traumatizes families, both Christian and Muslim. As his Beatitude
declared with forthright clarity, "There is no winner in this war on Gaza. There is only loss, pain and death in at the end of this road." The Patriarch explained that Operation Defensive Edge has been a blunder by Israel, lasting
over 20 days so far, with hundreds of Palestinians dead--the
vast-majority of whom were civilians--thousands wounded and tens of
thousands displaced. Israel has lost about 30 soldiers in the campaign
as well. Far from pacifying Gaza, this assault will leave
mourning, despair and hatred there, not peace. The only solution is to
reach an agreement whereby Palestinian rights are recognized, and peace
is built on justice.
His
Beatitude also addressed the residential policies in Jerusalem, which
aim to empty the city of its original Palestinian residents, both
Christian and Muslim. The first wounds inflicted by this policy are the
divisions of families. Current policies do not permit Palestinians
living in Jerusalem to bring spouses from the West Bank/Occupied
Palestinian Territories to live with them. Forcing Palestinians of
Jerusalem to live separately from their spouses or begin their married
lives outside of Jerusalem, giving up their ancestral homes and their
residency status. Mr. McDonough indicated that the White House is
committed to engaging constructively on these issues, by addressing
family reunification in Jerusalem and the occupied Palestinian
Territories. Finally, His Beatitude explained to the policy-makers the
tenuous status of the Church in Israel and Palestine, where historic
church properties are under imminent threat of confiscation to construct
the Israeli security wall. Most notably, these policies slated the
Salesian Monastery of Cremisan in the Bethlehem area for demolition, to
make way for the wall. Recognizing the clear threat to the Church and
the injustice of such land confiscation wherever, and to whomsoever it
is committed, Mr. McDonough assured the Patriarch of his support in
advocating for a more just policy.
Following
the meeting Sir Rateb Y. Rabie said, "We are very honored by this
meeting and more importantly pleased by the discussion we were able to
have. The United States has long played a very powerful role in this
part of the world, and the
opportunity to meet the Chief of Staff, who is the closest advisor to
President Obama, and discuss the situation from the perspective of
Palestinians is an enormous step on the path to better policies, and
ultimately to a just and lasting peace."
For more information, please visit our website www.hcef.org
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