Catholic bishops from around the world have issued a communiqué calling for a return to "meaningful negotiations" towards a two-state solution as an answer to the Israel-Palestine question.
For much of the week the bishops were in the Holy Land for “a pastoral and ecclesial gathering, rooted in prayer, reflection, and attentive listening to the Christian communities and peoples of the Holy Land”.
The visit included a mass in the town of Taybeh - the only predominantly Christian town in the West Bank and the subject of a violent attack by Israeli settlers.
The people there "told us of their suffering: endless attacks from extremist settlers, uprooting of their olive trees, the seizure of their land and intimidatory acts that make their daily life unbearable, driving many into mass emigration", they said.
Time was also scheduled to have an online meeting with Father Gabriel Romanelli, who serves as priest in Gaza’s only Catholic church, which was hit by Israeli ordnance during the recent conflict.
In their communiqué the bishops denounced the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and said that Gaza was in the middle of a "catastrophic" humanitarian crisis.
They called on Christians to pray for the people of the Holy Land and play their part in fostering "genuine dialogue".
"In the twelve months since our last visit, the Land of Promise is being diminished and challenged. Gaza remains a catastrophic humanitarian crisis," they said.
"The people of the West Bank we encountered are demoralised and fearful. The courageous Israeli voices which speak out for human and civil rights are increasingly threatened; advocating for marginalised voices is a costly solidarity. We fear that soon, they too will be silenced.
"As Christians, it is our calling and duty to give a voice to the voiceless, and to bear witness to their dignity, so that the world may know their suffering and be moved to advocate for justice and compassion."
The Archbishop of Glasgow and President of Justice & Peace Scotland, the Most Rev William Nolan, was part of the visiting delegation of bishops. He said the people of the West Bank were "traumatised".
He continued, "All sides, whether it's the Israeli side or the Palestinian side, have been traumatised by years of conflict, and even more so by the atrocities of the 7th of October attacks and then by the Gaza war.
"It’s very difficult for people, when they’re suffering themselves, to see the pain of the other side.”
The Archbishop said that the land was for everyone who lives there and that all parties in the area needed to recognise the rights of others.
He went on, “[In the West Bank], we went to visit some Bedouins who are under great pressure ... there are Israeli settlers who are causing so much harassment by their violent actions, destroying people's livelihoods.
"There's a campaign to try and disrupt the lives of Palestinians on their land, to encourage them to go away and to disappear. It seems to be left completely unhindered by the authorities."
Archbishop Nolan further praised those individuals and organisations from all the different communities who are working towards reconciliation and peace in the region.
