The World Council of Churches has issued a blistering condemnation of the move by Jewish settlers into the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City, and has thanked Moslem leaders for “affirming their solidarity with the Christians.”
The statement, published here by the church body’s Ecumenical Press Service on Thursday, was the latest in the mounting international chorus of criticism aimed at Israel over the incident that began two weeks ago.
The declaration charged police brutality against protesters, including the Greek Orthodox patriarch, Diodoros.
About 150 Orthodox Jews, claiming they have a legal lease, have taken over two adjacent buildings known as St. John’s Hospice, owned by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate.
The move, on April 11, during the holy week preceding Easter, touched off protest demonstrations in the Old City, which were dispersed by police firing tear gas. Diodoros fell and was slightly hurt.
The international church body spoke of the “provocative behavior of the police, including the use of tear gas.”
They charged that “this betrays all efforts toward reconciliation, rooted in the spiritual heritage of Jerusalem, and comes as further evidence of the violation of international agreements and of local traditions mutually recognized and observed by Jews, Christians and Moslems.”
The World Council called for the immediate evacuation of the premises by the settlers.
In Jerusalem on Monday, the heads of the Christian churches and Christian communities issued their own stinging condemnation of the move, and the confirmation that the Israeli government had helped finance the move.
They ordered all Christian holy sites closed Friday, and announced that “all church bells throughout the country will ring a funeral toll every hour on the hour from 9 a.m. until noon.
Sunday has been declared a special day of prayer for the Christian community of Jerusalem.
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