Vatican bishops' synod urges end to israeli occupation of Palestinian lands

A strong plea to United Nations to act immediatly to end israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and of Syria's Golan Heights came from the Bishop's synod for the Middle East held recently in Rome. "Citizens of the Middle East at large and of the Holy Lands in particular ask to the international community, the UN first and foremost, to work toward a comprehensive peace agreement for the region, through the application of Security Council's resolutions and through the adoption of the needed measures to end the israeli occupation of arab territories", says the bishops' message, "The palestinian people could then finally enjoy a free and sovereign homeland, to live there in dignity and stability; Israel, on the other hand, could enjoy peace and security within its internationally recognized borders (those drawn before 1967)".

"Having analyzed the social situation and security issues of various middle eastern countries we could not but agree that the israeli-palestinian question lies at the centre of most, if not every, contentious point of the whole region. We recognized the plight of Palestinians who languish under military occupation, lack of free movement, the apartheid wall, unwarranted detention, razing of homes, groves and orchards and the disruption of social and economic life".

"We have reflected on the question of Jerusalem, worried that unilateral action risk to perturbate its identity and its balance forever, ousting muslim and christian arab residents in favor of fundamentalist jewish settlers". "The Bible cannot be used as an instrument of injustice; religion should ask us to see God's own face in our neighbour and to treat him with the due respect".

The synod's document ended with references to Iraq and Lebanon: hoping for the strenghtening of national identity and a perpetuation of the long-standing tradition of peaceful coexistence between different communities for the latter and a quick return to stability and national harmony for the former.