wfn.org | Episcopalians: Christian leaders from Jerusalem blocked from attending interfaith meeting in

[dmack@episcopalchurch.org]

October 23, 2002

2002-245

Episcopalians: 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 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 of the Episcopal Diocese of 
Jerusalem and the Middle East. 

In an interview, 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. 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, Riah and 
Munib soon discovered that the two colleagues waiting for 
them--Archbishop Boutros Mouallem of the Greek Catholic Church 
and Father Elias Chacour, president of Mar Elias College in the 
Galilee--had suffered similar treatment. "We were humiliated as 
never before," said 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 then asked to step into a private room 
at the airport 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, 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.

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

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," 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."

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?"

Israeli authorities representing the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs and the Ministry of Religious Affairs rushed to meet 
with the delegation. Rabbi Melchior of the Israeli Foreign 
Ministry called from London to personally apologize. All 
involved have promised "a turning point" in their relationships 
and promised that the group would receive appropriate treatment 
when they attempted to leave again on the afternoon flight. 
Reports from the airport indicated that there were no further 
incidents and that the delegation continued the journey to 
London.

------

--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.