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Christian leaders in the Holy Land have warned that there will be a surge in Islamic extremism unless Israel ends its occupation of Arab land. "Time does not work for peace. It works for extremism. The more time we give to occupation, the more time we give to extremism and terrorism," said the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Michel Sabbah, speaking on behalf of church leaders from Jerusalem at a conference of the ecumenical World Council of Churches (WCC) on Monday. The patriarch said countries in the Middle East and the international community needed to work to create a "vision" for harmonious coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians. "We must take away the food that nourishes extremism: occupation, oppression and poverty. Justice to the poor, food to the hungry, respect to the dignity of the peoples; this is true fighting against extremism and terrorism," he added. The four-day WCC meeting in Amman, Jordan, brought together some 130 clerics and academics aiming to launch the Palestine Israel Ecumenical Forum with a view to promoting peace initiatives in the Middle East. Meanwhile 120 Palestinians died in last week's fighting in Gaza as the Islamic extremist Hamas movement seized power. During the fighting the Rosary Sisters school and convent in Gaza were pillaged, a statue and crosses were destroyed and prayer books set ablaze. "There may be some in Hamas who wanted to cause strife between Muslims and Christians," said Fr Manuel Musallem, the head of Gaza's tiny Catholic community. (See Michael Hirst and Trevor Mostyn, pages 12-13.)  |
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