14.05.2004
Danish Church Delegation Warns of Threatening Humanitarian Disaster in Israel-Palestine
Members of a Danish church delegation that visited Israel-Palestine have warned of a threatening humanitarian disaster in the region. They called on both parties and the international community to urgently seek a new formula and develop instruments that could guarantee Israelis and Palestinians equal right to sovereignty and safety.In a statement issued after their visit to Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank, the 12-person delegation cautioned that the result of draconian measures of collective punishment and breaches of international humanitarian law is increasing frustration and hatred. "Still, there is also a deep and widespread wish for peace and reconciliation," they said.
The representatives from the Council on International Relations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark, Ecumenical Council of Denmark and DanChurchAid, pointed out that Christian presence, estimated at less than 2 percent of the Holy Land's population, was threatened by the current socio-economic and political developments. "Many Christians in Jerusalem and the surrounding areas simply do not see a way of surviving economically: unemployment is rampant and for young people, a future in the country looks hopeless," they stated.
During the March 13-20 visit, the delegation met with representatives of churches, their related organizations and local authorities. The purpose was to obtain knowledge about the present situation, and support the local churches and Christians in the region.
According to the statement, "the delegation saw on the ground how Israel's 'matrix-control' including continued growth of settlements and the infrastructure linked to this, the building of the security barrier in places far into Palestinian territory—is thwarting the likelihood of the development of a viable Palestinian community and making the prospect of creating a viable Palestinian state along the State of Israel more and more improbable."
In the West Bank and Gaza, for example Hebron, and along the security barrier, "it is difficult to see developments as other than creating segregation and forcing the Palestinian population to choose between two impossible alternatives: either they can live unseen and unnoticed behind the barrier or they can leave the country," the Danish church representatives said.
The Danish delegation urged Christians and churches worldwide to find ways of supporting the Christians in Israel-Palestine so that the "living stones" of the Christian presence may continue to exist in the Holy Land. (387 words)
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