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His Beatitude, Michel Sabbah, the Latin Patriarch in Jerusalem
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| By Israel Insider staff December 19, 2007 |
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Israel's identity as a Jewish state is unfair, discriminating against non-Jews, its top Roman Catholic clergyman said in a pre-Christmas address on Wednesday in Jerusalem.
''If there's a state of one religion, other religions are naturally discriminated against,'' Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah told reporters at the annual press conference he traditionally holds in Jerusalem before Christmas. Sabbah, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem since 1987, is the first Palestinian to hold the position and has been harshly critical of Israel.
In his address, delivered in Arabic and English, Sabbah said Israel must abandon its Jewish character and allow itself to become a ''political, normal state for Christians, Muslims and Jews.'' He denounced Israel's demand to be recognized as a Jewish state by the Palestinians and said "God made this land for all three of us, so a suitable state is one who can adapt itself to the vocation of this land." ''This land cannot be exclusive for anyone,'' he said.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he said, had unleashed "forces of evil" across the Mideast. It was all Israel's fault that there was continual war, he said, and it was responsibility to end it. "The one who will decide is Israel. If Israel decides for peace, there will be peace? Until now, there has been no peace, simply because there has been no willingness to make it."
Arye Mekel, a spokesman for Israel's foreign ministry, weakly noted that Israel provides full religious freedom to people of all faiths. ''We reject his claim that other religions are not enjoying equal rights in Israel,'' he said. He did not say whether he thought "His Beatitude" should be tossed out of the country on his ear. |
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