The construction of a dividing wall between the Jewish and the Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem, “saddens us and disfigures the face of the Holy City. If this policy of separation continues, each person will move to Jerusalem bringing with him his own wall, his barrier that separates him from the others. ” This is how the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Twal, judges the concrete wall built by the Israeli police in the Arab neighborhood of Jabal Mukkaber and the Jewish settlement of Armon Hanatziv.
The Israeli authorities have justified the construction of a new barrier with the intent to prevent the throwing of stones and Molotov cocktails by the Palestinians. “It is really something out of this world, and part of the policy of dividing the holy city and making even the access to Holy Places difficult. In the past the Israeli authorities repeated the slogan that Jerusalem was a united and indivisible Holy City. Now they even build new walls … Evidently everything can be sacrificed and contradicted when it suits ones own political strategies”, said the Patriarch of Jerusalem of the Latins.
Since the beginning of October, the new cycle of violence exploded in the Holy Land has caused the death of at least 43 Palestinians and at least seven Israelis. “In a democratic country – said Patriarch Twal – any criminal act is punishable by law, and when the judge issues the sentence everyone accepts it. Now all civilians in Israel give the green light to shoot. There are extra-judicial killings and lynchings. And the disproportionate use of force is always a sign of weakness. While a clear mind would be needed to recognize and remove the causes of this new wave of violence, and together defend the profile of Jerusalem as a city of peace, for the good of all”.
Source: Fides News
