Bishop William Shomali, Patriarchal Vicar for Jerusalem and Palestine, has told of the desperate situation facing Christians and Muslims in the West Bank as a result of the ongoing conflict between Israel and its neighbours.
Bishop Shomali is on a visit to Britain and was speaking at a cross-party event in the Houses of Parliament earlier this week.
The bishop said he did not wish to take sides in the conflict or to bring up the various atrocities each side is accused of committing. Instead, he spoke of the suffering and despair faced by normal people in the West Bank, where 50 per cent of Palestinians are unemployed.
“Before the war, 160,000 Palestinians worked in Israel, bringing home millions of shekels daily. After the war on October 7th, work permits were stopped except for a tiny number," he said.
“I receive calls almost every day from Christians in Bethlehem asking, not for money or food, but for work permits. It saddens me to answer that we are not allowed more. After a week, the same people write again, desperately asking for the same permits."
The bishop said that his own church is permitted to offer 300 permits for workers, but that this is well below what is needed. Other churches are granted even fewer permits to issue.
Israeli checkpoints, intended to prevent terrorist attacks by the Palestinian population, have also added great difficulties to what would otherwise be normal activities in life.
“Many sick people miss their appointments in Jerusalem hospitals due to delays or lack of permits. Additionally, flying checkpoints appear unpredictably, further complicating travel …
“A trip that normally takes two hours may take anywhere from three to eight hours due to the barriers, where hundreds of cars are lined up and waiting.”
The bishop called on political leaders to show the “courageous spirit of leadership” of past historical figures like Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who attempted to bring peace to the region.
“When President Anwar Sadat came to Jerusalem, he delivered a historic and powerful speech, advocating for peace between Egypt and Israel. Against all odds, it was achieved.
“Similarly, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, after years of conflict with neighbouring Arab nations, sought to establish peace with Jordan. Once again, peace was secured.
“Tragically, both leaders paid the ultimate price, sacrificing their lives for the sake of reconciliation, as extremists rejected their vision of harmony.”
Both Sadat and Rabin were assassinated by extremists from their own side.
