De Pro Israel Lobby 11

De Electronic Intifada bericht: 'Congress grossly misled about plight of Palestinian Christians.

In a letter to the American Congress on 13 June, Open Bethlehem’s chief executive Leila Sansour, a Christian from Bethlehem, expressed her community’s shock at the gross misrepresentation of the threat facing the Christians of the Holy Land. She urged Congress to pay heed to the plight of the oldest Christian community in the world. “We are disappointed by the resolution drafted by Congressman McCaul and Congressman Crowley purporting to act on our behalf. The resolution seriously misrepresents the situation facing Christians in the Holy Land”. The ill-conceived resolution accuses the Palestinians of discrimination towards their own Christian community – and does so without consulting any local churches or Christian organizations. The drafters of the resolution ignored the calls from churches in Jerusalem, as well as the overwhelming body of reports from international organizations warning of the devastating effect of the Israel’s system of closures, collective punishment and the construction of the wall. In the Holy city of Bethlehem, the wall forcefully expropriates most of Bethlehem’s valuable land and historic landmarks depriving many Christian families from their homes, links to their community in Jerusalem and their income. The Open Bethlehem campaign was created to address the state of emergency in Bethlehem with full support from the Patriarchs of Jerusalem and all Bethlehem Civil institutions. His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI received the first Open Bethlehem passport, lending his support to the campaign alongside international figures such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu and President Jimmy Carter. Open Bethlehem is deeply encouraged by churches and church leaders across the US and by the work of those US politicians who have joined Rep.Henry Hyde in bringing the plight of Christians in Palestine to Congress and the people of the US. In a letter to the White House last Friday, Rep. Hyde stated that the Wall and expanding settlements are, “irreversibly damaging the dwindling Christian community."' Lees verder: http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article4811.shtml