The Israeli army has occupied a land bank of about 25 hectares in Palestine that belongs to the Catholic Church in an effort to extend its military presence in the area.  The occupied land is located between Tayasir and Bardala, in the northern part of the Jordan Valley.

According to the Fides News Agency, the legal owner of the requisitioned territory is the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, who in a communique issued on the 28th of November confirmed the unlawful occupation of the property.

The Patriarch, while not specifying any particular line of action, said that he would do all in his power to repossess the property but without further escalating the conflict with the Israeli government.

The supreme Islamic authority in Palestine, the Great Mufti, Mohammed Ahmad Husayn, also condemned the occupation of these Catholic territories by the Israeli army. He remarked that the strategy of the Israeli State is to reduce the number of Palestinian lands in the area so as to increase the number of Israeli settlements.

Let us pray that our Christian brothers and sisters may not become embroiled in the conflict between Palestine and Israel.

Source: Acidigital