November 10, 1999
Israel churches to close doors in protest
___NAZARETH (RNS)--In their strongest statement on the issue to date, the three major Christian denominations in Israel and the West Bank have announced they will close church doors Nov. 22-23 in protest of an Israeli government proposal to permit the construction of a mosque alongside Nazareth's Church of the Annunciation.
___In a statement issued Nov. 4, the Christian leaders said the Israeli decision, in effect, constitutes discrimination against the local Christian community and a government show of favoritism toward a small group of Muslim "fundamentalists."
___"Peaceful co-existence and confident harmony have recently been shaken by a series of sad events that have been painful and counterproductive for the majority of both faith communities," the letter said.
___"Despite the ruling of the court of law in Israel that the land adjacent to the Basilica of the Annunciation is state land, the government has supported a small group of fundamentalists who are intent on building a mosque only a few meters away from the historical church of the Annunciation in Nazareth."
___The decision to close the churches in midweek is intended to express the "disapprobation of all the churches at the way that their rights have been summarily violated," added the letter, signed by the Greek Orthodox Patriarch Diodoris I, the Latin (Catholic) Patriarch Michel Sabbah and the Armenian Patriarch Torkom Manoogian.
___Despite the strong wording of the letter, observers believe the church protest will likely remain relatively limited in impact.
___Israeli Minister of Public Security Shlomo Ben Ami, in a statement issued in response, expressed "regret" over the Christian move, saying "there can't be a shadow of a doubt concerning the government commitment toward Christian freedom of worship in every site in Israel."
___"Any sort of damage or a threat of damage to the legitimate religious interests of the Christians in the state of Israel as a whole and especially in Nazareth will be dealt with by a firm hand, as is required in a state of law," the security minister's statement said.Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!