Signs of hope in Palestine as Christians return

Palestinian prime minister Dr Salam Fayyad on Tuesday thanked the bishops of the Holy Land Co-ordination for their work in promoting a just peace for all. At a meeting in Ramallah, Dr Fayyad said that a vibrant Christian presence was vital for the future of a Palestinian state, as he announced to the bishops that the most recent data showed for the first time a net immigration of Palestinian Christians after years of a decline in their presence.

The rate of emigration was previously 4.3%, but Dr Fayyad said the recently collated data from 2009 showed more Palestinians returning than leaving. “The trend is positive for the first time,” he said. “We are doing as much as we can to encourage people to stay and for those who have left to return. We have made considerable improvements to civic society, governance and infra-structure. If you get living conditions right then people will stay and we need a vibrant Christian presence in Palestine. Otherwise what is the Holy Land without Christians? How can we have Bethlehem without Christians? It would not be Bethlehem but something else and this is a high priority. The problems for the Church are the same problems for the Palestinian Authority and this comes down to the occupation.”

The news comes after the highest number of pilgrims went to Bethlehem for the Christmas celebrations since 2000. Up to 500 Christians from Gaza were also able to come to Bethlehem which was a considerable improvement of previous years, although Prime minister Fayyad warned that any restriction was unacceptable. “We have to continue to look at ways of encouraging people to stay from house building to general improvements in civic society, from health to education. We have put 2,000 infra-structure projects in place and by making institutions more equitable, getting rid of corruption little by little we are maturing to look like a state. We must make the state a fact and when the bottom up and top down improvements converge then we will have a state.”

The Palestinian Authority was very keen to work collaboratively in education where the Church is very active in schools across Palestine, he said, educating both Christians and Muslims. This was a shared agenda and helped to ensure that Palestine remained free of the discrimination that had disfigured some other parts of the Middle East. “I read the Pope’s message and I share his concern about intolerance in the Middle East. We are very disturbed at the recent terrorism against Christians in both Iraq and Egypt and we must speak out on this issue. Not all countries of the Middle East are the same and we have a long tradition of co-existence in this land. Freedom of religion is essential and that requires tolerance and respect. “It is our duty to end the occupation. It is oppressive to Palestinians but also corrosive to Israelis. But while we seek to end the occupation we must find ways of improving livelihoods. The situation remains difficult, but the most important thing we can do is to keep a spirit of hope.” Prime minister Fayyad ended the meeting with a plea to the bishops and all the Catholics they represent in Europe and North America to keep Palestinians in their prayers and thoughts to see justice prevail.

Philippa Hitchen, who is travelling with Bishops of the Holy Land Coordination, spoke to the Palestinian Prime Minster, Dr. Salam Fayyad immediately after that meeting.

Listen to the full interview…

PH: Resumption of negotiations between PLO and Holy See – what do you hope for them?

SF: The Holy See is actually delivering on the Pope’s message, something which I referred to here. The activities pursued by the Vatican, including the meeting that took place on issues in this region, are important and further the prospects of justice and durable peace in the Holy Land. We have a shared agenda for sure and common goals and the priorities are in the order I told the bishops: we’re delighted they’re coming, we want their message to be heard and we would want the pope’s message to be conveyed as frequently and as loudly as possible. We would also want more focus on continuing injustice that is a direct consequence of the occupation and its practises, difficulties that all people, not only the Christian community, endure every day and the fact that it is getting in the way of living life as free people. These are issues that continue to be in great focus in the pope’s annual message and regular messages, as well as activities undertaken by the Vatican including its action at the UN as observers

PH: Primary concern of Church is full freedom of religion – how can you guarantee that in Gaza today?

SF: Situation in Gaza is most difficult, obviously because of the siege but also the state of separation where Palestinian Authority is not in control. We want to continue to ensure that there is in Palestine an environment that is free of intimidation and discrimination on any basis. We celebrate a long standing tradition of coexistence among various faiths – this is where Christianity began and you heard how strongly I feel about Christian presence in the HL and we’re desperately looking for ways to strengthen that presence and enable to the church to pursue its activities. I believe, as far as the PA is concerned today and the state of Palestine tomorrow, which God willing is coming, you will not find anything but an environment of full tolerance and total respect for people to practise their faith, affiliation, assembly, prayer as equal citizens. And I hope the situation in Gaza changes, both as regards the siege that has to be lifted clearly to end the suffering of all our people, but also the state of separation must end in order for us together to build the foundations of this state.

PH: In absence of progress in negotiations, you’ve called for recognition of Palestinian state – what difference will this make?

SF: As you know a fairly large number of countries have recognised the Palestinian state before and in the recent period a number of Latin American countries have joined that list. For us, this is uplifting and adds to the sense of inevitability that we are trying to create about the emergence or birth of the state of Palestine. That happening at a time when we are stepping up our efforts to get ready for the birth of this state, I think the timing is good and reinforces us in the belief that we’re on the right track . I hope it will also carry some transformative power, moving statehood from an abstract concept into the realms of the possible and I hope the inevitable.

PH: You talk about the numbers of Palestinians coming back now overtaking the numbers of those leaving – what do you put this down to?

SF: It means that people are more hopeful today than they were a couple of years ago. We have gone through a lot of adversity, it’s not an easy thing to be under oppressive occupation for more than 43 years. Life here is not perfect in Palestine but living conditions are better and people are more hopeful and that’s the most important thing. That’s what we need to maintain, the spirit of hope. I’m encouraged by it and life is getting better but it will not get better in a sustainable way until this occupation comes to an end - and it WILL come to an end, not only because it is oppressive to us but also because it’s corrosive to the Israelis.