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Israeli-Arab Peacemaking on US Agenda: Secretary Rice’s Shuttle
Diplomacy
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Arab League
Summit: Outcomes and Reactions
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Palestinian Unity Govt: Engaging the Moderates; Judging Platform Plus
Actions
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Jerusalem
News: Mugrabi Gate Context and Update
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Focus
on Palestinian Christians: A Dwindling Minority
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Middle East Abuzz with new Diplomacy
These past few weeks
have brought a flurry of Mideast diplomatic activity. The priority that
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is giving her efforts to help bring
Israelis and Palestinians together for face-to-face meetings shows the
Administration’s recognition of the urgent need for Israeli-Palestinian
peace. Indeed, achieving a negotiated two-state solution to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict is vitally needed not only for the suffering
parties to the conflict, but also because of the contribution it would
make to regional Middle East stability and US national security. The
re-launching of the 2002 Arab League Peace Initiative at the Arab summit
in Saudi Arabia on March 28-29th presents a unique opportunity
for mobilizing the region around common goals of Israeli-Arab peace.
Jordan King Abdullah’s March visit to the US and speech to a joint meeting
of Congress shows the extent to which moderate Arab leaders are reaching
out for action on the peace process. While complexities within both the
domestic Israeli political scene and among Palestinians abound, these new
opportunities must not be missed and flexibility and creativity are
needed. Will Israelis and Palestinians convene their bi-weekly meetings
and can these discussions be the starting point for developing a
“political horizon”? Can the Arab League Peace Plan be an organizing tool
for regional diplomacy that can bring the US, international community,
Arab world and Israel together around an emerging consensus for peace?
The timing may never be “right” for Middle East peace, but now it is
certainly ripe for vigorous diplomacy. As these new initiatives unfold,
US leaders should have no doubt that American Christians, as well as Jews
and Muslims, support Middle East peacemaking efforts.
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israeli-arab PEACEMAKING on
us agenda: secretary rice’s
shuttle diplomacy
Below are excerpts from
remarks Secretary Rice delivered during her most recent trip to the
Middle East and a
quote from President Bush backing her efforts. Secretary Rice met with
Arab leaders as well as Israeli Prime Minister Olmert and Palestinian
President Abbas (in addition, other members of the Administration have met
in recent weeks with Finance Minister Salam Fayyad, a moderate member of
the new Palestinian unity government).
“…Secretary Rice is headed
to the Middle East. Peace in the
Middle East is a priority for this administration. She's going to
continue our efforts to involve all parties -- the Palestinians, the
Israelis, Arabs -- to work for a solution that will lead to peace, and
that is a Palestinian state living side by side with Israel in peace and
security…” –President Bush, March 22, 2007
“Remarks After
Meetings With Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas”,
Secretary Condoleezza
Rice,
Jerusalem, March 27, 2007
“…There is a growing consensus behind President Bush’s vision
of the State of Israel and the new State of Palestine living side by side
in peace and security, as well as an urgent desire to achieve it. The
violent extremism we see in the Middle East poses a grave threat to all
who seek peace…President Abbas and Prime Minister Olmert have agreed that
they plan to meet together biweekly…The meetings between the Israelis and
Palestinians will focus on two sets of issues. First, they will discuss
immediate concerns, like movement and access, management of the passages,
and preventing arms smuggling and rocket fire by terrorists in
Gaza…the
parties will also begin to discuss the development of a political horizon,
consistent with the establishment of a Palestinian state in accordance
with the Roadmap. As I've noted before, we are not yet at final status
negotiations. These are initial discussions to build confidence between
the parties…New thinking and new action will also be necessary on the part
of Israel’s neighbors. Saudi Crown Prince – now King – Abdallah’s
initiative of 2002, later endorsed by the Arab League, was a welcome
example of such new thinking. Now, at this critical moment, we look for
our friends and partners of long-standing to build on this important
initiative…We all need to tackle the work of peace with urgency. It is a
complex undertaking, and it will take time and effort. But President Bush
and I are committed to this challenge. As the President said last Friday,
‘Peace in the
Middle East is a top priority for this administration.’ We
want to see the creation of a Palestinian state. We want to see lasting
security for
Israel.
And we will help the parties prepare for successful negotiations that can
end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, once and for all…”
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2007/mar/82237.htm
“Press Availability
With Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni,
Secretary Condoleezza Rice”,
Jerusalem, March 26, 2007
“…I don't intend by any
means to take control of the Palestinian-Israeli bilateral dialogue. I
think it's extremely important that that continue…What my role is is to
assist the parties and I've been doing it this time in parallel, and I
think that's a good way to do it; to explore the issues before them, the
possibilities of a political horizon, but also concrete issues of how to
deal with their daily lives. We have a lot of issues and the roadmap has
issues in it; so too does the movement and access agreement that I
negotiated a couple of -- well, in November of 2005. So I think we should
remain open to all issues. We certainly have a relationship of trust that
we can do that…”
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2007/mar/82201.htm
“Remarks With
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas,
Secretary Condoleezza
Rice”, Joint
Press Availability, Ramallah, March 25, 2007
“…Thank you [President Abbas] very much for welcoming me here
again and for your continued leadership and integrity in this process of
trying to come to a two-state solution where Israelis and Palestinians can
live side by side in peace. The President and I discussed the efforts
that I will be making here in the region. I will meet with Prime Minister
Olmert tonight. I will then, of course, meet with the President again
tomorrow and then before I leave again with the Israelis because I think
it's extremely important to begin to establish in parallel a common agenda
to move forward toward the establishment of a Palestinian state, and in
order to do that we have to begin a discussion of the political horizon so
that we can show to the Palestinian people as well as to the Israeli
people that there is indeed hope for the kind of peace that will come when
the Palestinians have their own state, their own democratic and peaceful
state, and when the Israeli people have the peace and security that can
only come from having a democratic and stable neighbor. And so we have had
a good discussion of that. And we've also discussed, as the President
said, the Arab initiative. I was very interested in his ideas concerning
the Arab initiative because perhaps it does offer an opportunity and a way
to also have a prospect for Arab-Israeli reconciliation, all of which
together with the establishment of a Palestinian state would make for a
much more peaceful and hopeful and prosperous
Middle East…”
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2007/mar/82165.htm
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ARAB LEAGUE
SUMMIT: Outcomes and Reactions
At the March 28-29 Arab
League summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia the Arab states endorsed and re-launched a peace initiative first
introduced in 2002. The reintroduction of the peace proposal at this time
may have the potential to serve as a rallying point for Israeli-Arab
diplomacy. Below are key documents and responses related to the summit.
“FACTBOX-Excerpts from
Arab summit declaration”,
Reuters, March 29, 2007
”Following are key excerpts from the final declaration endorsed by Arab
leaders at the end of a two-day summit in Riyadh on Thursday. The
declaration endorses an Arab peace initiative launched in 2002 but makes
no direct mention of key issues such as the fate of Palestinian refugees.
- (The summit) "affirms a
just and comprehensive peace as a strategic option for the Arab nation and
the Arab peace initiative that draws the right path for reaching a
peaceful settlement to the Arab-Israeli conflict based on the principles
and resolutions of international legitimacy and the land for peace
formula."
- (The summit) "stresses
the importance of freeing the region from weapons of mass destruction
without double standards, warning against starting a dangerous and
destructive nuclear arms race in the region and emphasising the right of
all countries to peaceful nuclear power."
- (The summit) "decides
to spread the culture of moderation, tolerance, dialogue and openness, to
reject all forms of terrorism and extremism as well as all exclusionary,
racist trends, campaigns of hatred and endeavours to question our
humanistic values or defame our religious beliefs and holy places, and to
warn against growing sectarianism for political purposes that aims to
divide our nation and ignite destructive sedition and civil strife."
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L29506248.htm
“Text of the Arab Peace
Initiative”, Adopted by the Arab summit in Beirut, 2002
http://www.al-bab.com/arab/docs/league/peace02.htm
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Israeli Responses:
“Olmert invites moderate
Arab leaders to regional peace conference”,
The Associated Press,
April 1, 2007
“In a dramatic response
to an Arab peace initiative, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday
invited Arab leaders to a regional peace conference to discuss their ideas
for resolving the Middle East conflict…Speaking at a joint news conference
with [visiting German Chancellor Angela] Merkel, Olmert said, ‘I would
take advantage of this important opportunity of being here in Jerusalem
with the president of the European Union to invite to a meeting all Arab
heads of state, including, of course, the king of Saudi Arabia, whom I
regard as an important leader, in order to engage in dialogue.’ He said
each side would bring its own demands, and neither would try to dictate
terms…”
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/04/01/africa/ME-GEN-Mideast-Merkel.php
For details on the Arab
response, see “Olmert offer for Arab talks draws skeptical response”, Adam
Entous, Reuters, April 2, 2007:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/02/AR2007040200435_pf.html
“Israeli statement on the
Arab Summit in Riyadh”,
(Communicated by Foreign Ministry Spokesman),
March 29, 2007
“Israel is sincerely
interested in pursuing a dialogue with those Arab states that desire peace
with Israel and hopes that the Riyadh Summit will contribute to this
effort. Israel believes in peace, and seeks to establish peaceful and
neighborly relations both with the Palestinian people and with all the
states of the region. Israel is sincerely interested in pursuing a
dialogue with those Arab states that desire peace with Israel, this in
order to promote a process of normalization and cooperation..a direct
dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians is necessary. Israel also
believes that moderate Arab states can fill a positive role by encouraging
regional cooperation, and supporting the Israel-Palestinian track. A
dialogue between these states and Israel can contribute to this end.”
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/About+the+Ministry/MFA+Spokesman/2007/Israeli+statement+on+Arab+Summit+in+Riyadh+29-Mar-2007.htm
”Olmert: 'Not one refugee
can return'”,
Herb Keinon and David Horovitz, Jerusalem Post,
March 30, 2007
Prior to the official
Israeli response included above, Prime Minister Olmert made the following
statements related to the refugee clause (which has been interpreted in
various ways) in the Arab initiative.
“While the Prime
Minister's Office had no formal reaction to the Arab League's
land-and-refugees-for-peace initiative relaunched in Riyadh on Thursday,
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told The Jerusalem Post there is
absolutely no wiggle room on the refugee issue…”
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull&cid=1173879211864
Secretary Rice’s comments
above also include references to the Arab Peace Initiative.
Daily Press Briefing,
Sean
McCormack, Spokesman, Washington, DC, March 29, 2007
“…Well, it [the
Arab League summit’s communiqué] is a positive development. The Arab
League has re-launched its Arab initiative. As we have said previously, it
is not for us to tell the Arab League what should be in its initiative. It
is for them to determine. They also talked about forming a number of
different committees that would be available to explain the Arab
initiative to interested parties, including the Quartet, the G-8 and other
interested parties in the region. What we have encouraged the Arab League
to do is to use this initiative and the re-launch of this initiative as a
basis for active diplomacy. Now, what exact form that active diplomacy
might take is something that needs to be determined and ultimately it is
going to be up to them to determine what that looks like. But certainly
this is an effort to reach out to be constructive on an issue of interest
to all the countries of the region, and we are encouraged by this
development and we certainly welcome it…”
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2007/mar/82365.htm
“Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's
address to the League of Arab States in
Riyadh”,
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 28 March 2007
“…The broader Arab world
continues to have a decisive role to play. The Arab Peace Initiative is
one of the pillars of the peace process. Endorsed in the Road Map, the
Initiative sends a clear signal that the Arab world, too, craves peace.
When I was in Israel, I urged my Israeli friends to take a fresh look at
the Arab Peace Initiative. Here in Riyadh, I urge you, my Arab friends,
to use this Summit to reaffirm your commitment to the Initiative. We must
build on these new stirrings of potential. The status quo is dangerous.
But there are positive signs. The formation of a National Unity
Government in
Palestine and the prospect of an Israeli-Palestinian dialogue offers the
prospect of hope. At the same time, the Quartet has been re-energized and
the Arab Peace Initiative suggests a new way forward for the region.
Peace between Israelis and Palestinians will not be a regional panacea.
The region's conflicts and fault lines have their own complex dynamics.
But it would go a long way towards promoting political moderation and
pluralism. Solving this conflict is a moral and strategic necessity…”
http://www.un.org/apps/news/infocus/sgspeeches/statments_full.asp?statID=76
Israeli Opinion: “Perhaps in the Next Government”,
Prof. Ephraim
Yaar and Prof. Tamar Hermann, Haaretz, April 4, 2007
”Even before Prime Minister Ehud Olmert referred positively to the
decisions taken at the
Riyadh conference on the basis of the Arab peace proposal, about half the
Jewish Israeli
public had thought the proposal could at least serve as a basis for
negotiations on a regional peace agreement. The other half thought the
proposal should be rejected out of hand. Among those who had heard of the
proposal - nearly two-thirds of the public - there is a clear majority of
supporters for responding to the Arab initiative, while among those who
had not heard of it, a majority opposes responding. At the same time, an
overwhelming majority, cutting across the political camps, says that in
light of the current status of the Olmert government, it cannot enter
negotiations on a comprehensive peace settlement. Given the momentum in
the Arab world toward renewing the discussion of the terms of a future
peace settlement, this time we gauged the Jewish Israeli public's degree
of interest in events in the Arab states and its image of the relevant
Arab countries. It turns out that an overwhelming majority of people
define themselves as very interested in developments in the Arab world via
media reports…”
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/845115.html; For the survey data,
see
http://www.tau.ac.il/peace
Palestinian Public
Opinion
Poll No. (23),
Palestinian Center for
Policy and Survey Research, March 22-24, 2007
"...Findings show that about three quarters of the Palestinians (72%)
support the Saudi Initiative while 26% oppose it. This finding points to a
significant increase in support for this initiative compared to the
situation three months ago when support stood at 59% and opposition at
38%. The increase in the level of support might have the result of
increased Arab and international interest in the initiative and in light
of the plan by the Arab Summit in Riyadh to reaffirm Arab commitment to
it. Moreover, the Mecca Agreement, the formation of the unity government,
and the public expectation that Hamas will show more moderation regarding
Israel might have played a role in increasing public support for the
initiative....Findings show that a majority of 63% supports and 35% oppose
a mutual recognition in which Palestinians recognize Israel as the state
for the Jewish people and Israel recognizes Palestine as the state for the
Palestinian people after the establishment of a Palestinian state and the
resolution of all issues of conflict..."
For full poll results, see:
http://www.pcpsr.org/survey/polls/2007/p23e1.html#peaceprocess3
“Arab Peace
Initiative: Israeli- Palestinian Joint Statement”,
March 24, 2007
“…The significance
of the Arab Peace Initiative is that it provides all interested and
concerned parties with a comprehensive solution process in order to solve
all the aspects of the Middle East conflict. For Israel it's significance
is that it provides Israel with recognition, normalization and security
guaranteed by 22 Arab countries together provided it withdraws from all
the Arab territories occupied in 1967 and provided it adheres to "an
agreed upon just solution to the Palestinian refugee problem that is
achieved in accordance with UN General Assembly Resolution 194"'. For the
Palestinians it means the establishment of a Palestinian independent state
based on the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital. For the Syrians
it means the return of the Golan Heights. With the impasse in the peace
process, and with the failure of the gradual solutions in the last 15
years, the Arab Peace Initiative provides the alternative way-out towards
comprehensive peace and reconciliation…”
For a full list of
signers and the full text of the letter:
http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=33642
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Palestinian Unity Government: Engaging the Moderates; Judging Platform
Plus Actions
Following the
Mecca Agreement
reached between Fatah and Hamas in early February, the Palestinians formed
a national unity government on March 17th. Below are documents
related to this new government, including a list of the cabinet members
and excerpts from its political program. A State Department press release
is included outlining the Administration’s policy of dealing with some
moderate cabinet members. Also included is the latest statement from the
Quartet which reiterates its demand that the new government commit to
non-violence, recognize Israel and accept previous agreements while also asserting that the government
will be judged “not only on the basis of its composition and platform, but
also its actions”.
“New Palestinian
cabinet”,
Associated Press, Haaretz,
March 15, 2007
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/838286.html
“Excerpts from the
Program of the [11th] National Unity Government”, Miftah,
March 15, 2007
http://www.miftah.org/Display.cfm?DocId=12978&CategoryId=32
“Palestinians:
U.S. Diplomat
Meets with Finance Minister (Taken Question)”,
Sean McCormack, Spokesman,
Washington, DC, March 20,
2007
Question: Please provide
a read-out of the meeting between Jacob Walles, the U.S. consul general in
Jerusalem, and Palestinian Finance Minister Salam Fayyad in Ramallah. Was
this an official meeting with him as a minister of the National Unity
Government? Did they discuss aid payments?
Answer: U.S. Consul
General Jacob Walles met with Mr. Fayyad today as part of an ongoing
dialogue on a variety of issues. Mr. Fayyad is a long-standing contact of
the USG, and a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and an
official of the PLO, in addition to his position as Minister of Finance.
As we have indicated, the
U.S.
will not suspend contact with individual Palestinians solely on the ground
that they hold office in the unity government, and that we will make
individual decisions based on our evaluation of the situation.
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2007/mar/81988.htm
“Statement by
Middle East
Quartet”,
Department of Public Information, News and Media Division,
New York,
March 21, 2007
“…The Quartet reiterated
its respect for Palestinian democracy and the agreement reached in Mecca
on 8 February 2007, which laid the foundation for Palestinian
reconciliation. The Quartet expressed hope that the establishment of a
new Government on 17 March 2007 would help end intra-Palestinian violence
and ensure calm. The Quartet reaffirmed its previous statements with
regard to the need for a Palestinian Government committed to non-violence,
recognition of Israel and acceptance of previous agreements and
obligations, including the Road Map, and encouraged progress in this
direction. The Quartet agreed that the commitment of the new Government
in this regard will be measured not only on the basis of its composition
and platform, but also its actions. The Quartet expressed its expectation
that the unity Government will act responsibly, demonstrate clear and
credible commitment to the Quartet principles, and support the efforts of
President [Mahmoud] Abbas to pursue a two-State solution to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, thereby achieving the peace, security and
freedom the Israeli and Palestinian people desire and deserve…The Quartet
expressed its strong support for Secretary Rice’s efforts to further
facilitate discussions with President Abbas and Prime Minister [Ehud]
Olmert with the aim of defining more clearly the political horizon for the
establishment of a Palestinian State and an end to the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict. The Quartet agreed to meet in the region soon to review
developments and discuss the way ahead.
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2007/sg2125.doc.htm
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Jerusalem News: Mugrabi Gate Context and
Update
In
early February, riots erupted in
Jerusalem when
Israel began
excavations adjacent to the Temple Mount/Harem al-Sharif compound.
Reportedly, these excavations were in preparation for construction of a
new access bridge that would replace the Mugrabi Gate access ramp, which
has fallen into disrepair. While construction necessary for safe access
should be able to be pursued, the project was not being carried out in a
transparent way that involved all interested parties and stakeholders.
Below is an article from the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that provides
context for the Mugrabi gate issue in relation to the larger issue of
Jerusalem’s
future and the peace process, as well as an update on the latest
developments related to the construction/excavation project.
“Losing
Jerusalem”,
Danny Rubinstein, Haaretz, March 14, 2007
”… Just as the State of Israel would not be able to exist if the right of
the 1948 refugees to return were to be recognized, it can be said that
a Palestinian state could not exist without East Jerusalem as its
capital. It is in this context that the protest to the Israeli work at
the Mugrabi Gate - both by Muslims in general and the Palestinians
in particular - must be viewed. It is true that this work does not involve
the Al-Aqsa compound itself, that the Israeli plans do not endanger
anything sacred to Islam and that these demonstrations exploit the
sensitivity surrounding religious issues to launch another attack on the
Israeli government. This was the case in the Western Wall tunnel affair in
1996 and when Ariel Sharon visited the Temple Mount in September 2000, and
this was the case in a long series of other incidents in which Israel
disrupted the status quo in Jerusalem…The Palestinians have reason to be
sensitive about Jerusalem, because they are losing it. Work toward the
completion of the separation fences and the walls around East Jerusalem is
nearly finished…Can Israel's reinforced grip on
East Jerusalem advance the peace process? The answer is no. Without
East Jerusalem, a
Palestinian state will not arise and the waning dream of ‘two states for
two peoples’ will come to an end.”
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/837211.html
“Mugrabi Gate Update:
Construction Off the Table (for now), Problematic Excavations Continue”
Ir Amim,
February, 2007
“Plans to
construct a new, massively expanded bridge to replace the present
(temporary) Mughrabi Gate access ramp are off the table, at least for the
time being. While Israeli Prime Minister Olmert and his Cabinet voted to
move ahead with the plan, despite the international outcry and
violence/tension on the ground that the plan has already sparked,
Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupoliansk courageously intervened to halt the
project…”
http://www.ir-amim.org.il/Eng/_Uploads/dbsAttachedFiles/MugrabiGateUpdateEnglish(1).doc
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FOCUS on
Palestinian Christians: A Dwindling Minority
“Misery tempts
Palestinian Christians to flee”,
Alistair Lyon, Reuters, March 12, 2007
“Despairing of life under
Israeli occupation, many Palestinian Christians are moving abroad,
threatening their ancient links to Bethlehem and the land where Jesus was
born. ‘There is a real fear that 50 years down the road, the Holy Land
will be without Christians,’ said Mitri Raheb, 45-year-old pastor of the
Lutheran Church in Bethlehem. Pressures on majority Muslims are just as
daunting -- and many of them also leave -- but dwindling Christian
communities look more precarious as the young and dynamic pull up roots.
Christians have migrated from
Bethlehem
and nearby Beit Jala and Beit Sahour for over a century, mainly to
Latin America,
the United States and Canada, to escape successive wars and crises.
Bethlehem governor Salah al-Tamari said there was no way of tracking
accurately how many Christians and Muslims had left since the eruption of
Israeli-Palestinian violence in 2000. ‘There is no business, no freedom
of movement,’ he said. ‘We depend on tourism, which is being demolished.
Sometimes we receive 1,500 tourists a day but none of them stay the night.
They visit the
Nativity
Church
and leave, so we don't benefit.’ A towering concrete wall is closing in
on Bethlehem
as part of a barrier that Israel is erecting, which it calls a defense
against suicide bombers from the occupied West Bank. Much of it has been
built on Palestinian land…’This wall has separated many people from each
other,’ said Hiyam Abu Dayyeh, a Christian social worker. ‘What kind of
life is this if you can't feel free or move in your own country?’…”
http://www.reuters.com/article/w orldNews/idUSL0264864120070312
“Palestinian Christians
Look Back on a Year of Troubles”,
Isabel Kershner, New York Times, March 11, 2007
“…In the year since Hamas
came to power, some of the fears of a newly Islamist cast to Palestinian
society are being borne out. Christians have begun quietly complaining
that local disagreements quickly take on a sectarian flavor. And reports
of beatings and property damage by Muslims have grown…But few point
directly at Hamas, looking instead to the overall stresses on Palestinian
society and its increasing thuggishness. As Mr. Massis said of his sons'
beatings, ‘There are such problems every day.’ While it is hard to gauge
what role intimidation and nationalist sensibilities play, there is
widespread denial of any official persecution…”
Link to Full article
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