Dozens of Christians in J'lem rally in solidarity with officials facing exile
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15-8-2010
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- Dozens of Christian clergymen and citizens of all denominations participated on Saturday in a sit-in in the courtyard of the Church of the Resurrection in solidarity with the Jerusalemite Muslim officials threatened with expulsion from the occupied holy city.
"We are here to join forces with the Jerusalemite figures threatened with exile, namely, the lawmakers and the former minister and to express our rejection of the policies of elimination, alienation and weakening of the Palestinian presence in the holy city," Father Atallah Hanna, the Greek patriarchate of occupied Jerusalem, said during the sit-in.
"The Palestinian must not be treated as alien in Jerusalem; when the Palestinian is in Jerusalem, he is in his city, country and holy site," Father Hanna stressed.
"The Jerusalemite lawmakers and the former minister must stay in Jerusalem because it is their [native] city and they are not strangers here. It is not right to take them away from their families and homes, for this is inhumane and immoral," he added.
In another context, Father Hanna received in his office in Jerusalem a German delegation from Christians for peace and defending human rights organization.
According to a statement issued by his office, Father Hanna discussed with the delegation the document that was issued by Palestinian Christian clergymen under the title "the document of right" which highlighted the right of Palestinians of all religions to their historical land and holy sites, and demanded all churches around the world to support this position.
The patriarchate underlined during the meeting that this document reflects the affiliation of Palestinian Christians and Muslims to their homeland, people and national cause.
"This document is addressing the world from perspectives related to faith and morality and talks, without bringing out the Christian aspect alone, about the suffering of our people and the need for ending the injustice inflicted on them, and confirming that the issue of Palestine is the issue of one people, Christians and Muslims, and cannot be divided," the patriarchate explained.
The document of right was issued in December 2009 following a meeting attended by heads of Palestinian churches and Christian figures in Bethlehem. It was published in Arabic, English, French and German and appealed to the world's Christians to urgently move to protect Palestine and Jerusalem.
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