wfn.org | Jerusalem Christian Leaders Blocked from Attending London Interfaith

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

Meeting

Christian leaders from Jerusalem blocked from attending interfaith meeting 
in London

by James Solheim

(ENS) A high-level delegation of Christian church leaders from Jerusalem 
was harassed at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv and prevented from flying to 
an important three-day international, interfaith meeting in London, 
beginning tomorrow.

The meeting, called by Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey, was a 
follow-up to a breakthrough interfaith meeting in January 2002 that 
produced the Alexandria Declaration, signed by Christian, Muslim and Jewish 
leaders who are working to resolve the Middle East crisis. "The meeting is 
intended to promote the Declaration and come to grips with the root causes 
of the conflict," said Bishop Riah Abu El-Assal, the Anglican Bishop in 
Jerusalem and the Middle East. "We believe that Jerusalem is central to 
peace efforts."

The First Alexandria Declaration of the Religious Leaders of the Holy Land 
was originally issued in Alexandria, Egypt, on January 21, 2002. In 
addition to a cease-fire "respected and observed on all sides," it also 
calls for "the implementation of the Mitchell and Tenet recommendations, 
including the lifting of restrictions and return to negotiations" on the 
part of Israelis and Palestinians.

Signatories included: Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey; Sephardi Chief 
Rabbi Eliahu Bakshi-Doron; Deputy Foreign Minister Rabbi Michael Melchior; 
President of the World Conference on Religion and Peace Rabbi David Rosen: 
Minister of State for the Palestinian Authority Sheikh Tal El Sider on 
behalf of the Palestinian delegation; a representative of the Greek 
Patriarch Archbishop Aristichos; Melkite Archbishop Boutrous Mouallem; and 
Bishop Riah Abu El-Assal of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and the 
Middle East.

In an interview, Bishop Riah described how he and his colleague, Bishop 
Munib Younan of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jerusalem, were stopped 
at a road block on the way to the airport. Despite repeated promises of 
special VIP treatment from the Israeli government agency that deals with 
Christian communities in Israel, they were asked to get out of the car and 
submit to a search. Bishop Riah refused and urged the soldiers to check 
with their officers about the special arrangements, suggesting that the 
humiliating treatment was because they were Christians. After a while they 
were allowed to proceed to the airport.

When they arrived at the VIP lounge at the airport, Bishops Riah and Munib 
soon discovered that the two colleagues waiting for them--Archbishop 
Boutros Mouallem of the Greek Catholic Church and Father Elias Chacour, a 
Melkite from The Galilee--had suffered similar treatment. "We were 
humiliated as never before," said Bishop Riah in a phone call to the Rev. 
Andrew White in England, Carey's staff person during the meeting in
Alexandria.

Security at the airport insisted that the church leaders identify and open 
their luggage before the flight, in clear violation of normal VIP 
treatment. The church leaders refused to comply or to allow staff to 
comply, escalating the incident. Archbishop Mouallem was asked to provide a 
certificate proving that he was a bishop, and further asked to step into a 
private room at the VIP lounge for interrogation.  The stalemate ended when 
the church leaders asked for return of their passports and tickets. When 
told that a supervisor would meet with them, Bishop Munib said, "It's too 
late." When they returned to Jerusalem they learned that officials of the 
Ministry for Religious Affairs had mounted a quick investigation.

Israeli authorities representing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the 
Ministry of Religious Affairs have rushed to meet with the delegation.	All 
involved have promised a turning point in these matters, and that the group 
will receive appropriate treatment when they attempt to leave again on 
today s afternoon flight.

"We need not only an apology but an end to these attempts to humiliate us," 
said Bishop Riah. "This is very serious."

Father Chacour said that the Greek Catholic archbishop, who carries a 
Vatican passport, had never experienced such humiliation. "Every non-Jew is 
seen as a potential enemy," Father Chacour said during an interview after 
the return to Jerusalem. "We want to be friends with the Israelis and build 
bridges between our communities but it is becoming very difficult. We 
either build this state together or it won't be built," he said. "Unless 
they can overcome their paranoia, their feeling that they are victims, 
there will never be peace."

Bishop Munib said that pressure against the Christian community and its 
leaders has been increasing. "It's constantly like this," he said in 
describing his difficulties during recent border crossings. "If we are 
treated this way how do they treat normal Palestinian Christians?"

--James Solheim is director of Episcopal News Service and reports from a 
trip of journalists in the Middle East sponsored by Church World Service of 
the National Council of Churches.