WEST BANK: Jewish, Christian and Muslim clergy come together in a rare gesture of unity, in support of the Palestinian Authority's planned bid for statehood

Record ID: 560073

  • Title: WEST BANK: Jewish, Christian and Muslim clergy come together in a rare gesture of unity, in support of the Palestinian Authority's planned bid for statehood
  • Date: 13th September 2011
  • Summary: BETHLEHEM, WEST BANK (SEPTEMBER 12, 2011) (REUTERS) MANGER SQUARE VARIOUS OF MINARET OF OMAR EBEN EL-KHATAB MOSQUE VARIOUS OF PALESTINIANS PUTTING PALESTINIAN FLAG ON CAR WITH JEWISH RELIGIOUS MEN INSIDE RABBI MENACHEM FROMAN ARRIVING AT "BETHLEHEM PEACE CENTER" / WAVING PALESTINIAN FLAG EXTERIOR OF "BETHLEHEM PEACE CENTRE" (SOUNDBITE) (English) RABBI MENACHEM FROMAN SAYING: "To express my support -- my hope -- that very soon a Palestinian state of peace will be established."
  • Embargoed: 28th September 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: West bank, West bank
  • City:
  • Country: Palestinian Territories
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics,Religion
  • Reuters ID: LVA6ZW7STVLI3VRWWBSHV04O9ML7
  • Story Text: Jewish, Christian and Muslim clerics joined hands in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Monday (September 12) and said it is time to establish a peaceful, independent Palestinian state.
    The rare show of unity amongst clerics from the three faiths came in support of a planned Palestinian Authority bid for full Palestinian United Nations (U.N.) membership next week.
    Arab states said in an Arab League meeting in Cairo on Tuesday (September 13) they supported the Palestinian bid, and will push for a fully-fledged Palestinian state, despite a US threat to block such a move.
    In Bethlehem, a group of young Palestinians hoisted the Palestinian flag on Rabbi Menachem Froman's car as he arrived to pledge support for President Mahmoud Abbas' proposal.
    Froman is an Israeli Orthodox Rabbi known for leading interfaith dialogue between Israeli Jews and Palestinians.
    "To express my support -- my hope -- that very soon a Palestinian state of peace will be established," Froman told Reuters as he walked into the Bethlehem Peace Center to attend a meeting of religious leaders.
    Inside the Centre, Jewish, Christian and Muslim clerics gathered in a conference room along with audience members as the Palestinian national anthem was played on the piano. Many stood as the anthem was played. They later gave speeches supporting the bid.
    Among the religious leaders was Sheikh Mohammed Hussein, the Palestinian Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and the Palestinian territories, who later told Reuters the world needs to recognise the Palestinian people's need for independence.
    "I think now in the 21st century, this is the last remaining occupation in the world, this Israeli occupation of the Palestinian people and of Palestinian land. I believe Palestine has the right -- including its leadership, its people and all religious parties, Muslims and Christian because we are all the children of one nation -- we support the President in this bid and call upon the whole world to vote in favour of Palestine gaining full state membership in the United Nations," Hussein said.
    The Palestinians decided to seek UN recognition of statehood after years of negotiations with Israel failed to deliver the independent state they want to establish in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem -- areas occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East War.
    The Palestinians currently hold UN "observer" status. Full member status would require approval in the Security Council.
    But Israel's ally the United States said explicitly for the first time on Thursday (September 8) it would veto a Palestinian bid for full UN membership, which drew an immediate rebuff from the Palestinians who vowed to press ahead.
    But in Bethlehem, spirits ran high and many hoped the proposal would gain wide support.
    "The Palestinian issue -- the issue of the struggle of the Palestinian people -- is our issue in the first place, therefore, we are meeting in this place to affirm our national stance, which demands putting an end to this occupation, having an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital and to be recognized world-wide," Attallah Hanna, Archbishop of the Palestinian Orthodox Church, told Reuters following the meeting at the Bethlehem Peace Center.
    President Mahmoud Abbas, heading the Palestinian delegation to the meeting at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, has been under US pressure not to go ahead with the UN bid; Washington said last week statehood can only come via agreement with Israel.
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