I stand with the people of Israel as children made in the Image of God. I do not stand with the government of the State of Israel in regards to its treatment of Arab Christians in Palestine. Thirteen Christian leaders, all Palestinian Christians, wrote a document that detailed their struggles that arise as a result of Israeli policies.
PATRIARCHS AND HEADS OF CHURCHES
JERUSALEM
WE HEAR THE CRY OF OUR CHILDREN
We, the Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem, hear the cry of hope that our children have launched in these difficult times that we still experience in this Holy Land. We support them and stand by them in their faith, their hope, their love and their vision for the future. We also support the call to all our faithful as well as to the Israeli and Palestinian Leaders, to the International Community and to the World Churches, in order to accelerate the achievement of justice, peace and reconciliation in this Holy Land . We ask God to bless all our children by giving them more power in order to contribute effectively in establishing and developing their community, while making it a community of love, trust, justice and peace.
His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III,
Greek Orthodox
His Beatitude Patriarch Fouad Twal,
Latin Church
His Beatitude Patriarch Torkom Manougian, Armenian Orthodox
Very Revd Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Custody of the Holy Land
H.E. Archbishop Dr Anba Abraham,
Coptic
H.E. Archbishop Mar Swerios Malki Murad, Syrian Orthodox
H.E. Archbishop Paul Nabil Sayah, Maronite
H.E. Archbishop Abba Mathaious, Ethiopian
H.E. Archbishop Joseph-Jules Zerey, Greek Catholic
Bishop Gregor Peter Malki, Syrian Catholic
Bishop Munib A. Younan,
Lutheran
Bishop Suheil Dawani,
Anglican
Bishop Raphael Minassian, Armenian Catholic
"...As Palestinian Christians we hope that this document will provide the turning point to focus the efforts of all peace-loving peoples in the world, especially our Christian sisters and brothers. We hope also that it will be welcomed positively and will receive strong support, as was the South Africa Kairos document launched in 1985, which, at that time proved to be a tool in the struggle against oppression and occupation. We believe that liberation from occupation is in the interest of all peoples in the region because the problem is not just a political one, but one in which human beings are destroyed..."
http://www.kairospalestine.ps/sites/default/Documents/English.pdf
CBS 60 Minutes Segment on Christians of the Holy Land -
Christians of the Holy Land - YouTube