[wvns] Palestine's "turbulent priest" blistering Easter message

Stuart Littlewood views the Easter message of Gaza's courageous Fr
Manuel Musallam in which he delivered a blistering attack on Israel's
occupation and its rape of the holy sites, and a damning indictment of
the silence of the cowards in the West.

Palestine's "turbulent priest" delivers a blistering Easter message
By Stuart Littlewood
31 March 2010

Fr Manuel Musallam recently retired at the age of 71 after serving as
the parish priest of the Holy Family Church in Gaza for 14 years. For
most of that time the Israelis would not allow him to visit his family
and friends in the West Bank. So, in spite of failing health, he
soldiered on through the devastating siege and the murderous blitzkrieg.

I was privileged to meet him a couple of years ago and I just love the
way this man speaks out. He doesn't mince words. He tells it the way it is, with truth and style.

Retirement hasn't silenced him or dimmed his perceptions.

This Easter he's concerned, as always, about the occupation and how it
robs those in the Holy Land of Easter's message of hope and joy:

We Christians of Palestine have been under occupation for many long
years. We've been suffering with bitterness at being kept away from the Holy Sites. We've been denied our right to worship in Jerusalem. Many Christian generations have never been able to reach Jerusalem to visit its holy places.

The occupation has been continuously imposing unlawful obstacles. This
year, we are confronted by the Israeli Apartheid Separation Wall,
checkpoints and roadblocks guarded by Israeli soldiers denying us
movement and access to Jerusalem.

All these measures not only suffocate the Palestinian people, but also
asphyxiate peace in Israel and Palestine.

Fr Manuel explains how Palestinians are denied the freedom to worship
as and where they please, even at Easter. In particular, they are
prevented from going into Jerusalem. The Zionist claim that Palestine
was "a land without a people for a people without a land" has had a
disastrous impact on the Palestinians. "It does not mean that Jerusalem is without a people, but rather it should be evacuated to be handed over to another people. David Ben Gurion himself articulated the plan in 1937 when he declared: 'We must expel Arabs and take their places.'"

"Every stone built in the Apartheid Wall, every axe strike
digging under the Al-Aqsa Mosque and every house destroyed by Israel
will increase the intensity of resistance and resentfulness."

Fr Manuel Musallam

"Every stone built in the Apartheid Wall, every axe strike digging
under the Al-Aqsa Mosque and every house destroyed by Israel will
increase the intensity of resistance and resentfulness. However,
cooperation with Palestinians will give Israel the hope for a future,
dominated by serenity and peacefulness."

"We lament Jerusalem..."

He warns of the relentless Zionist programme to completely Judaise
Jerusalem, alter its features, expel its people, destroy its houses,
seize its land and build numerous settlements.

We lament Jerusalem, and miss its beautiful ceremonies. This year
thousands of tourists will weep with us. They will not be able to march the "Way of the Cross" with Palestinians. There will be no national Palestinian folklore to discover or Arab religious crafts to take with them as gifts, and no local prayers, hymns and music to experience in the warm faith of believers in Palestine. They will be shocked entering the Holy Sepulchre to find Israeli police inside.

Easter symbolizes liberation from sin and slavery but hopes of national liberation are evaporating. The slavery and humiliation of occupation are felt more keenly than ever by Palestinian Christians.

We do not foresee any political settlement, or an end to occupation,
or hope for the return of Palestinian refugees, or the forming of our
state with Jerusalem as its capital, or the right to self-determination, or the liberation of thousands of prisoners, free access and movement, an end to Gaza siege, and the dismantling of the Apartheid Wall around Jerusalem.

We are appalled by the continuous threats of more war. And we are
distressed by the daily humiliation, hunger, thirst, unemployment and
the absence of sustainable development in our country.

The world's silence is perplexing, he says, and the international
community seems unable to implement the resolutions it used to create
the State of Israel. Recent events only to lead closer to the abyss.

He reminds us that Palestinians have been building and enhancing
Jerusalem for 5,000 years and never stopped – except during the
occupation, which has practically destroyed everything they had
accomplished. Unable to find any traces of their own heritage, he
observes, the occupiers have annexed some of the Palestinians' holy
places.

"Jerusalem was the city of God, peace and prayer, but has been
converted into a city of man, war and hatred. Instead of becoming the
key to the doors of heaven, it has become a key to war and blood."

Fr Manuel Musallam

"Jerusalem was the city of God, peace and prayer, but has been
converted into a city of man, war and hatred. Instead of becoming the
key to the doors of heaven, it has become a key to war and blood."

"Protect our holy sites"

Jerusalem, the holiest place on earth, is now the focus of sin and
crime, he says, because one man is killing another, insulting him and
trampling his dignity and his right to live.

Jerusalem is ours. It is not a disputed land. We are not soliciting to
share the legacy and heritage of Jerusalem with Israel or with anyone
else.

We do not accept the speech of Israeli leaders that Jerusalem is the
capital of Israel and that building in it is no different from building in Tel Aviv. Occupation is a sin and a form of terrorism, and when relying on the texts of the Torah to kill people or expel and remove them from their land it rises to the level of a crime against humanity. All perpetrators should be judged by the International Criminal Court before being judged by the just court of God.

Supporters of Netanyahu's remarks, and those who fail to condemn them,
simply give Israel more time and excuses to intensify its crimes against the Palestinian people. Hence they become accomplices in a "sin against the nations".

In his appeal to the world this Easter, what seems to worry Fr Manuel
most is how the dwindling numbers that are now allowed to reach the holy sites might cause them to be turned into historic monuments or even destroyed. In the eyes of Israeli leaders, these places are "pagan sites" and whoever destroys them is brought closer to God. "A long time ago," he says,

the Zionist Jewish leader Theodore Herzl said: "If one day we recover
Jerusalem and I am still able to do anything when we do so, my first
action will be to cleanse it thoroughly. I will remove everything that
is not holy and burn the monuments that are centuries old."

Israel has devastated and tortured us in their many wars. We ask you
to see the wounds of innocent Palestinian people and to be compassionate towards the Palestinian holocaust that you witness with your own eyes and touch with your own hands, and to know those who perpetrated this crime against our children. Search with us for justice that is the mother of peace. Protect us and safeguard our Holy Sites.

I recall that in 2008 Fr Manuel was with his Christian community during their darkest hour when Israel, with a nod from America and the EU, unleashed a deadly onslaught intended to finally crush the half-starved Gazans.

"Wimpish churchmen and politicians in the West would wet their pants at the very thought of speaking plainly against Zionist lawlessness and cruelty the way Fr Manuel does, which is why the Holy Land is such an unholy mess."

At the height of the killing spree, Fr Manuel sent this message from
the smoking ruins to anyone who would listen:

Our people in Gaza are treated like animals in a zoo. They eat but
remain hungry; they cry, but no one wipes their tears. There is no
water, no electricity, no food, only fear, terror and blockade... Our
children are living in a state of trauma and fear. They are sick from it and for other reasons such as malnutrition, poverty and the cold... The hospitals did not have basic first aid before the war and now thousands of wounded and sick are pouring in and they are performing operations in the corridors. The situation is frightening and sad.

In exasperation he added: "May Christ's compassion revive our love for
God even though it is currently in 'intensive care'."

Was anyone listening?

Wimpish churchmen and politicians in the West would wet their pants at
the very thought of speaking plainly against Zionist lawlessness and
cruelty the way Fr Manuel does, which is why the Holy Land is such an
unholy mess. Their inaction ensures that nothing changes for the better.

Indeed, the situation gets progressively worse. Some will no doubt be
muttering, "Will nobody rid us of the turbulent priest?" as did King
Henry II in 1170, referring to Thomas Becket who rebelled against his
unjust reforms.

But we need many more good and turbulent priests. They inspire. They
might even succeed in goading the cowardly international community to
action. Meanwhile, it seems God still has work for Fr Manuel, even in
retirement.

Stuart Littlewood is author of the book Radio Free Palestine, which tells the plight of the Palestinians under occupation. For further information please visit www.radiofreepalestine.co.uk.

*********************************************************************

WORLD VIEW NEWS SERVICE

To subscribe to this group, send an email to:
wvns-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

To leave this list, send an email to:
wvns-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

NEWS ARCHIVE IS OPEN TO PUBLIC VIEW
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/wvns/

Need some good karma? Appreciate the service?
Please consider contributing to WVNS today.
WVNS donation button at eaazi.blogspot.com

------------------------------------

Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wvns/

<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wvns/join
(Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
wvns-digest@yahoogroups.com
wvns-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
wvns-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/