Member of the PLO Executive Committee and Head of the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine, Dr. Ramzi Khouri, welcomed the local EU statement on the Christian presence in Jerusalem on May 2nd, 2024. He stressed that the Christian presence in Palestine, particularly in occupied Jerusalem is under threat, due to Israel’s systematic colonial policies aimed at erasing the Palestinian people, including Christians.
The EU Heads of Mission met in Jerusalem with representatives of several Christian Churches and the Armenian community and issued a statement voicing deep concerns over the growing escalating violations against Christians in the Holy Land. The statement highlights the alarming constraints on religious freedom and restrictions imposed preventing worshippers from reaching the Holy City during the Holy Week to celebrate.
In addition, the statement points out to attempts to impose taxations on Church and religious properties and takeover of the property. Also, financial and administrative burdens on Christian schools, students and staff, including pressure related to school curriculum.
Here is the full text of the statement:
The European Union Representative issues the following statement in agreement with the EU Heads of Mission in Jerusalem and Ramallah
The EU Heads of Mission met at the Dormition Abbey on Mount Zion with representatives of several Christian Churches and the Armenian community, as part of regular exchanges dedicated to religious and cultural diversity of Jerusalem and its Old City.
The Christian communities face a number of challenges, which are aggravated in the current political context. Those involve hate crime incidents, including property destruction and physical abuse; attempts to impose municipal taxation on Church and religious properties including with retroactive effect; financial and administrative burdens on Christian schools, students, and staff, including pressure related to the school curriculum; attempts of takeover of the property, exemplified by the developments in the Cows’ garden of the Armenian Quarter and the plan to build a cable car in Jerusalem’s historic core. Freedom of worship and access to holy sites must be guaranteed for all and restrictions are particularly worrisome in the context of celebrations of religious holidays and the upcoming Holy Fire ceremony.
These trends must be halted as they jeopardize the heritage and traditions of the Christian community and endanger the Christian presence in the Holy Land. They pose a threat to peaceful coexistence of all three monotheistic religions in Jerusalem. Protection and safety of all religious communities must be ensured, as well as impartial law enforcement and access to justice.
The EU calls for the upholding of the Status Quo and protection of the special status and universal character of Jerusalem and its Old City. The inviolability of its sacred spaces and the viability of all its communities, including the Christian community, must be preserved and respected by all.
