Re. Protest against cutting trees near Aboud Your Excellency, We were negatively surprised this morning when we saw the mass cutting of olive trees, which belongs to the inhabitants of Aboud, located north to Ramallah, including some who belongs to our spiritual floe.
Jerusalem, June 10,2001
His Excellency Mr. Binyamin Ben-Eliezer
Minister of Defense
Ministry of Defense
Tel-Aviv
Re. Protest against cutting trees near Aboud
Your Excellency,
We were negatively surprised this morning when we saw the mass cutting of olive trees, which belongs to the inhabitants of Aboud, located north to Ramallah, including some who belongs to our spiritual floe. The Israeli Army took over than 2000 Olive trees off their natural places on both sides of the nearby road, which causes material and moral loss to their owners.
While we understand the need of security for the Israelis, we are totally sure that such security does not come via collective punishments and continuous closures. Needless to add that the inhabitants of Aboud assured us that they did not shoot on anybody, but their village is cut off all its surrounding area since long time ago.
Your Excellency,
We think that peace could be built only on justice. Therefore, we call upon Your Excellency to order the Army to stop these acts of violations to human rights, and to ease the life of the Palestinian inhabitants in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. We are sure that such positive steps would contribute to the reconciliation between the Israelis and Palestinians, which must succeed all kinds of violence and violations. We would like to use this opportunity to wish you and the entire Israeli Government best wishes, hoping that peace and justice will be achieved by your efforts.
+ Michel Sabbah
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem
