Delegation of the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine continued its official tour in Europe with a series of high-level meetings in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. The delegation included Ambassador Amira Hanania, member of the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine and its representative in Europe; Reverend Dr. Mitri Raheb, founder and president of Dar al-Kalima University in Bethlehem; Reverend Dr. Fadi Diab of the Episcopal Church; and Father Sandro Tomasevic, advisor to the Custody of the Holy Land. They were accompanied by Salah Abdul Shafi, Palestine’s non-resident ambassador to Croatia, and advisor Ehab Al-Ghoul.
In a series of discussions, the delegation met with Dr. Peter Mihatov, Director General for Political Department at Croatia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ivan Picukaric, Religious Affairs Advisor to the Croatian Foreign Minister; Matea Prlic, Director of Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid at Croatia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Father Marco Kovac, Advisor to the Archbishop of Zagreb; as well as several Croatian parliamentarians and political party members.
The focus of these meetings was the ongoing catastrophe in Palestine, particularly the continued Israeli genocide unfolding in Gaza, which has claimed thousands of innocent lives and led to the devastation of essential infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, and places of worship.
The delegation expressed grave concern over the deteriorating situation in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem, where settler violence against Palestinian civilians and property persists, compounded by daily incursions by Israeli occupation forces into cities, villages, and homes. Additionally, they highlighted the continued violations against Muslim and Christian holy sites.
The delegation underscored the existential threat facing the Christian presence in Palestine, particularly in Bethlehem, where brutal Israeli policies and aggression, along with the decline in tourism, have severely crippled the local economy and undermined the community’s resilience, further intensifying the suffering of the Palestinian people.
The delegation stressed that the current situation cannot continue and urged world leaders to take decisive action toward achieving peace and stability. They called for global efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, end the bloodshed, and uphold the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, in line with international law, by establishing an independent Palestinian state.
