Palestinian infighting condemned
By Andrea Doucet,WNS Israel Bureau Chief
BETHLEHEM - The leading Roman Catholic clergyman in the Holy Land has appealed for an end to internal Palestinian fighting. Michel Sabbah, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, made the appeal in his sermon at midnight Mass in Bethlehem. "To set myself up against my brother is to set myself up against God," he said, urging political leaders in the Middle East to be givers of life, not death. To reach Bethlehem, he had to pass through a gate in the Israeli barrier dividing Jerusalem from the West Bank. Recent weeks have seen violent clashes between armed supporters of the main Palestinian factions, while the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues.
"Christmas has come this year in difficult circumstances, made even worse by internal squabbles," said the patriarch at the chapel beside the Church of the Nativity, built on the birthplace of Jesus Christ. "The fratricidal struggle is leading toward more deaths and a new slavery that we are imposing on ourselves." The patriarch called for the revival of the long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process. "We call on Israeli and Palestinian officials to take new steps to put an end to the killing and lead our two peoples to a new period," he said.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas attended the Mass. Earlier, he said he hoped his meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, would be a good start for future relations. Bethlehem's tourist industry has been ruined by the continuing conflict between Israel and Palestinians. Michel Sabbah is the first Palestinian to serve as Latin patriarch of Jerusalem.
posted by wnsworld @ 12:48 PM
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