Rite and Reason:'As Palestinians, we are called to a difficult life,' writes Nazareth-born Patriarch Michel Sabbah, currently on a visit to Dublin
Today - June 5th, 2007 - marks the 40th anniversary of the occupation of the whole of Palestine by the Israeli army during the 1967 war.
Since then, the situation for Palestinians has worsened by the day. We cannot remain silent in the face of the manifest injustice that is visited upon the Palestinian people.
As Palestinians, we are called to a difficult life. The occupation and all that it implies - the restrictions on our freedom, the "security" wall, the military checkpoints, the Israeli soldiers who, at any time, enter our Palestinian cities, kill people, take prisoners, uproot trees and destroy houses.
Add to that the lack of vision within Palestinian society and the lack of security - exploited by some who permit themselves to disobey the laws and to oppress their brothers.
The historical grievances of Palestinians are now exacerbated through the existence of the wall.
This restricts their ability to make a living, their freedom of movement and their ability to practice their faith freely. I believe it is time to intensify action through negotiation, to end occupation and establish an independent Palestinian state with borders clearly defined (consistent with UN resolutions 242 and 338), giving Palestinians and Israelis alike human dignity, security and equal opportunities.
Many injustices have to be reversed, not least the restoration of land to lawful indigenous owners and the demolition of the so-called security wall.
If physical safety for Israeli citizens was the sole aim of the wall, it would have been built along the internationally-recognised border between Israel and the Palestinian territories, the Green Line. The current route means that Palestinian lands are being annexed and that it encompasses many illegal Jewish settlements. It severs Palestinian lands and villages and causes severe hardship and poverty for people in the West Bank.
I have seen people deported from their homeland, houses sealed or demolished, and whole families left without shelter. Economic sanctions continue to add to the hardship of life: water resources are seized, land is expropriated, trees are torn down, crops are destroyed, access is denied to markets and high taxes are imposed in an arbitrary manner.
Consider the many refugee camps - enormous cages for human beings. Their very existence is a continuous appeal for justice, freedom and human dignity; while at the same time they bear witness to the determination of a people to survive and find their own place among the people of the world.
The steady disintegration of the economic, agricultural and educational infrastructures is leading to the destruction of the social fabric in Palestinian areas.
There are no legislative, executive and judicial channels, no institutions commanding the respect of the people as belonging to them. As a result, people take the law into their own hands, with deplorable consequences.
Within this conflict we Christians are both Palestinians and at the same time Christians.
Palestinian Christians must share in all the sacrifices necessary to regain freedom and bring the occupation to an end.
We, as Christians, call for non-violent resistance.
Our position is based on the following fundamentally Christian and human principles: all human beings are equal in dignity before God; they all have the same rights and the same duties.
We find comfort and solace in numerous prayers that are taking place everywhere and that continue to be made in this time of trial; in them and in all people of goodwill we place our hope.
No one, for religious or political reasons, should be subjugated by another.
Everyone has the right to live in security and to choose their own type of independent government.
Israelis and Palestinians alike are entitled to security and peace. That will come through the dismantling of the wall, an end to occupation and a just and lasting peace.
With the presence of God in our midst we will see how to transform trials and oppressions into love for each other, which will give us more strength - a strength that will unite us more and will allow us to carry out a true resistance, the purpose of which will not be to destroy the adversary or to fill our hearts with rancour against him, but to put an end to the evil of occupation, with all of its oppression, and in this way to mark the beginning of a new life for everyone, the occupied as well as the occupiers.
On behalf of all patriarchs and heads of Christian churches in Jerusalem we call upon our fellow Christians across the world to join us in the International Church Action for Peace in Palestine and Israel, particularly during this period of June 3rd to 9th 2007.
His Beatitude Michel Sabbah is Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. He will address a public prayer service for peace and reconciliation, hosted by Trócaire and Christian Aid, in the Pro-Cathedral, Dublin, at 6.45 this evening