Church in the World

Palestinian Christians braced for death of Arafat

Middle East

Christians in the Holy Land were this week awaiting the announcement of the death of Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader who, as The Tablet went to press, lay in a coma and on a life-support machine in a Paris hospital after suffering a major brain haemorrhage.

Arafat was flown from Ramallah to a Paris hospital for treatment of an undisclosed blood disorder on 29 October. After brief reports that his health was improving, it was announced that the 75-year-old leader had fallen into a coma on 3 November.

Fr Shawki Baterian, chancellor for Jerusalem's Latin Patriarchate, said that it was crucial for 'all of Palestine to remain one in order to build the Palestinian state and put aside all personal issues. In any country when the chief passes, there is always confusion during the transition period. I hope nobody tries to take advantage of this and push through his own personal interests.'

With titles of president of the self-declared Palestinian state and chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, Arafat is viewed as a symbol of unity for the Palestinian people. Throughout his tenure, he managed to keep in check the political aspirations of Islamic extremist groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Arafat made 11 trips to the Vatican to meet John Paul II and was considered a champion of the Christian cause in the Holy Land. During the writing of the Palestinian Constitution, he sent a draft to the Christian Patriarchs in Jerusalem asking them to amend it so that it was inclusive, dealing with Christians as equal citizens. Arafat also gave a presidential decree that certain towns in the Holy Land, such as Bethlehem, Beit Sahour and Ramallah, should retain their Christian composition and always have a Christian mayor. The Palestinian leader regularly held consultations with Christian leaders, and it is feared that his death may lead to increased Islamisation in the occupied territories.

Fr Ibrahim Hijazin, a parish priest in Ramallah, said one of the main concerns of Christians at the moment was how Islamic groups will react in the face of a power vacuum within the Palestinian National Authority. 'There is this fear for the future as Christians wonder what will be after Arafat. Some fear there will be infiltration of radical Islamic forces.'

Many believe Arafat's demise will be a turning point for the peace process. Some, such as Neveen Halteh, 20, a marketing student at Jerusalem's Al-Quds University, are not optimistic about change after Arafat, believing the position of Christians would be worse after his death. She said 'Maybe Israel will come in; maybe Islamic extremists will come. They hate us. I am afraid we will not have peace.'

Others are more optimistic for the futures of Christians in the Holy Land. Bernard Sabella, a Catholic and a sociology professor at the Catholic-run Bethlehem University, said 'Arafat may have been instrumental in promoting Christian-Muslim relations, but traditionally our experience as Christians living in Muslim lands has been excellent.'

The Israeli government this week agreed to Palestinian plans to bury Yasser Arafat in the West Bank town of Ramallah. The United States has told possible successors to Arafat that it is ready to engage with them when appropriate said the US Secretary of State, Colin Powell.
Michael Hirst