Serbian Church Sounds Alarm Over Palestinian Christians' Plight
In a letter to Palestinian official Ramzi Khouri, Serbian Patriarch Porfirije voiced solidarity with the Palestinian people and concern over deteriorating conditions for Christians and other residents of the region.
The church said the community was enduring “suffering, persecution and discrimination,” adding that the suffering of civilians, whatever their faith or background, cannot be reconciled with human dignity.
It called for the protection of Christian communities, noting that Christians have lived continuously in the region for more than 2,000 years and remain an integral part of its history and heritage.
Excluding or sidelining any religious or ethnic community, the church cautioned, risks eroding the region's social and religious fabric. It urged respect for international law and religious rights.
Porfirije said the church would keep raising the protection of Christian communities, along with peace efforts in the Middle East, in meetings with political leaders and international institutions.
Khouri sits on the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and chairs the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine.
That committee has repeatedly sounded the alarm over attacks on Christian communities and institutions in the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem. It has also flagged restrictions on worship, education and access to religious sites.
The impact has reached the Gaza Strip as well, where five Palestinians were killed early Saturday. Four of the dead were women, two of them Christians.
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