In a high-level meeting in Geneva, Dr. Ramzi Khouri, member of the PLO Executive Committee and Head of the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine, met with Rev. Prof. Dr. Jerry Pillay, Secretary-General of the World Council of Churches. The meeting was also attended by His Beatitude Patriarch Theophilos III, Patriarch of Jerusalem and All Palestine and Head of the Jerusalem Churches Council; Vicar of the Custody of the Holy Land, Father Ibrahim Faltas; President and Founder of Dar al-Kalima University, Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb; Palestine’s Ambassador to Switzerland, Ibrahim Khraishi; the Committee’s representative in Europe, Amira Hanania; and Director of Jerusalem Affairs at the Jordanian Royal Court, Wasfi Kilani.
Dr. Khouri conveyed President Mahmoud Abbas’s greetings and expressed deep appreciation for the World Council of Churches’ steadfast support for the Palestinian people. He commended its firm stance against plans to forcibly displace the Palestinian people, particularly from Gaza, and warned of the worsening humanitarian crisis in Palestine. He highlighted the impact of Israel’s escalating repressive policies, including severe restrictions in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and the genocidal war being waged by Israel on Gaza, which threatens the Christian presence in the Holy Land.
Patriarch Theophilos III underscored the immense challenges facing the Christian community, pointing to systematic efforts by extremist Israeli groups to drive out Jerusalem’s historic Christian population, persistent discriminatory policies, and the ongoing war in Gaza. He stressed that church leaders continue to call for an immediate and lasting ceasefire, urgent economic support to restore church-run hospitals, schools, and charitable institutions, and unhindered access for spiritual leaders to Gaza.
Dr. Khouri urged the World Council of Churches to take concrete action by pressuring governments to increase emergency humanitarian and medical aid for Gaza, collaborating with international bodies to protect Palestinian lives and dignity, and advocating for a just resolution to the Palestinian cause based on international law that leads to peace and stability. He emphasized the need for immediate global intervention to stop Israeli violations, including repeated attacks on Muslim and Christian holy sites, violence against Palestinian civilians, and military incursions into cities and towns.
Rev. Prof. Dr. Jerry Pillay reaffirmed the World Council of Churches’ unwavering commitment to safeguarding the sanctity of Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and all religious sites, ensuring they remain places of worship and refuge rather than targets of war. He strongly condemned any plans for forced displacement and demographic change in Palestine, emphasizing that true peace cannot be achieved without addressing the root causes of the conflict – namely, illegal occupation, systemic discrimination, and the denial of Palestinians’ right to self-determination.
