Dear Facebook Friends, Please send appeals to the Israeli ambassadors just as we have sent to the one in New Delhi. You are free to make use of the sample letter appended below: To Mr Alon Ushpiz Ambassador Embassy of Israel 3, Aurangzeb Road New Delhi-110011 Fax: +91-11-30414555 Email: [email protected] Respected Ambassador, The Justice, Peace and Development Office of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, which is a member of Pax Christi International, is greatly concerned over Israel’s plans to build a wall on the land of 58 Christian families in the Cremisan Valley, near Bethlehem. We have heard the pain and anguish of the families in Beit Jala faced with the threatened loss of their land and livelihood. We are deeply pained to learn that the planned wall will destroy vineyards, groves and orchards and separate people from their land. The most agonising consequence of the proposed wall construction will be the difficulties that children will encounter trying to access their school in one of the convents in the valley. We are also appalled to know that the planned route of the wall deviates sharply from the Green Line, the internationally-recognised demarcation line separating Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories captured in the six-day war of June 1967. More than three quarters of the wall’s planned route is illegal, according to a landmark advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice in 2004. It is also a flagrant breach of the Geneva Convention and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Our deep concern is that this planned wall will consolidate the Israeli settlement areas and permanently cut off Bethlehem from Jerusalem, and create a situation which incites resentment and mistrust, making the possibility of a much-needed solution less likely. In this context, even as the Israeli Supreme Court Hearing on the construction of a separation wall in the Cremisan Valley starts today (29 January 2014), we urge the government of Israel to follow international law. In particular, Israel should respect the livelihoods of these 58 families and ensure justice for them. The people of the parish of Beit Jala must be protected from further expropriation of their land and homes. Thanking you in anticipation of a decision in favour of the 58 Christian families in the Cremisan Valley, I remain Yours truly, Rev Dr Charles Charles Irudayam
Posted on: Wed, 29 Jan 2014 09:04:00 +0000
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