Christian leaders in the Holy Land have spoken out against plans by Israel and Donald Trump to displace Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, Aleteia.org reported.
Trump said earlier this month during a visit to the White House by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the United States could take control of Gaza, remove Palestinian residents and begin building what he called the “Riviera of the Middle East“.
“There is a serious threat of mass displacement, an injustice that strikes at the very heart of human dignity. "The people of Gaza, families who have lived for generations in the land of their ancestors, should not be forced into exile, deprived of their homes, their heritage and the right to remain in the land that forms the essence of their identity," the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said in a statement.
The bishops refrained from mentioning the US president. And commenting on a political position can be a delicate maneuver for religious leaders. But they said that as Christians "they cannot be indifferent" to the suffering.
The bishops also called for "the release of all prisoners on both sides" in the Israel-Hamas war, “so that they can be safely reunited with their families“.
“We further call on all people of faith, governments and the international community to act swiftly and decisively to stop this catastrophe“, Christian leaders in the Holy Land declared.
“May the sanctity of human life and the moral obligation to protect the defenseless prevail over the forces of destruction and despair. We call for immediate, unrestricted humanitarian access to those in desperate need. To abandon them now would be to abandon our shared humanity“, they declared.