Catholic Church Accuses Israel of Terrorism

October 21, 2001

The Roman Catholic Church has issued a statement accusing Israel of committing terrorism. The Catholic statement, which was issued on behalf of the heads of the Catholic and Orthodox churches in Jerusalem, likened Israel’s actions to Osama Bin Laden’s attack on the World Trade Center which killed nearly 7,000.

Israeli tanks and soldiers moved into Palestinian-ruled areas of Bethlehem and the adjacent neighborhood of Beit Jala on Friday. Israeli forces took control of buildings and hilltops in an effort to stop Palestinians in Beit Jala from firing on the Jewish community of Gilo, a suburb of Jerusalem.

The firing on Gilo late Thursday followed an explosion in Bethlehem that killed a Palestinian terrorist leader and two other terrorists. Palestinians blamed the deaths on Israel, while the Israeli government suggested the men may have been preparing a bomb that exploded prematurely. The Catholic statement accused Israel of being behind the explosion.

Thousands of Palestinians, some firing machine guns in the air, took part in the funeral for the terrorists Friday, which began at Manger Square, next to the church marking the traditional birthplace of Jesus.

Israel is continuing to demand that the Palestinians extradite those responsible for assassinating Tourism Minister Rehavam Zeevi on October 17. Israeli government spokesman Dore Gold says, if the Palestinians continue to reject that demand, the implications are clear. "We would regard the Palestinian Authority as an entity that supports terrorism. Now, there are legal and, I suppose as well, security implications of that new designation," Mr. Gold said. "But the state of Israel will not tolerate repeated attacks against its civilians and the assassination of a democratically elected member of its government."

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PLFP), a PLO faction, claimed responsibility for the assassination. The PFLP also claimed responsibility for the attack on the World Trade Center, but the U.S. has put the blame for that attack on Osama Bin Laden.

Zeevi, Israel's minister of tourism, was shot at a hotel in Jerusalem, and hospital efforts to revive him failed. He was the first Israeli government minister to be killed by Palestinians in decades of conflict.

An enraged Prime Minister Ariel Sharon convened a special session of parliament and said he holds Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat responsible for the killing. Sharon pledged a war to the bitter end against terrorists and those who help them.

The Palestinian Authority rejected blame and condemned the killing of Zeevi. But President Bush held Arafat at least partly to blame for the murder. A White House statement said, in part,

We have noted the statement of the Palestinian Authority condemning this assassination. This statement is appropriate, but words are not enough. It is time for the Palestinian Authority to take vigorous action against terrorists. The PFLP, which operates openly in areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority, has claimed responsibility for this heinous act. The PA must immediately find and bring to justice those who committed this murder, as well as those who would do harm to efforts to restore an atmosphere of calm and security for Israelis and Palestinians.

The Catholic statement, issued on October 19 and posted on the official Catholic website on October 21, did not mention the assassination of Zeevi, but rather put all the blame for the situation on Israel. The Catholics appealed "to World Church Leaders and the International Community to make urgent representation to the Israeli Government lo bring this intolerable situation to an immediate end..."

Protestants expressed outrage that the Catholic statement was issued on behalf of "Patriarchs and the Head of Churches in Jerusalem," which could lead Jews and Muslims to conclude that all Christians were party to the denunciation, rather than just the Catholics.

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