2014-11-12 12:54:00

Prayers offered for peace as tensions rise in Israel


(Vatican Radio) As tensions continue to rise in Israel and in the occupied West Bank, an interreligious movement has organized a meeting to pray for peace to offer an alternative to the current violence.

Early Wednesday morning, a mosque in a village in the occupied West Bank was seriously damaged in an arson attack. In a related incident, Israeli police said a Molotov cocktail was thrown at an ancient synagogue late Tuesday.

The attacks are the latest in a series of violence between Israelis and Palestinians in recent weeks, following disputes over access to the Temple Mount, as well Israel’s announcement of more settlements in East Jerusalem.  The Temple Mount in Old Jerusalem is the holiest site in Judaism and the third-holiest site in Islam.

On Tuesday, a 22-year-old Palestinian man was killed in a refugee camp in the West Bank in clashes between the Israeli Defence Force and protesters. He was standing on a rooftop and brandishing a home-made gun, when he was shot by an Israeli soldier.

Also on Tuesday, a 25-year-old Israeli woman—one of two Israelis who were killed in separate knife attacks on Monday—was buried in the West Bank. Her alleged attacker was shot and injured by a private security guard. The second death was of an Israeli soldier, who died of his wounds in Tel Aviv. Two other Israelis were stabbed and wounded.

Israel's Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon has said the violence is not widespread but mostly being conducted by what he called “young people using grassroots terrorism and lone attackers”.

Rabbi Ron Kronish is the director of the Interreligious Coordinating Council in Israel.

“What’s happening is not clear,” he told Vatican Radio. “There’s great anxiety and concern.”

The rabbi said the violence is happening for many reasons. “The failure of the peace process, the results of the war in Gaza, the continue incitement by leaders on both sides,” he stated. “Unfortunately, we don’t see an end to it right now. Neither leadership on either side is taking the right steps, publicly to really calm things down.”

On Tuesday, during a ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the death of former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel of inciting “a religious war”.

Israeli Prime Minsiter Benjamin Netanyahu denied the allegation, accusing Abbas and Hamas of inciting violence instead. While Netanyahu has insisted that Israel has no plans to change the status quo at the Jerusalem holy sites, he has promised a harsh response to this week’s attacks against Israelis. More troops have been ordered into the occupied West Bank, aimed at quashing any probable uprisings. 

Rabbi Kronish also belongs to a local movement, called Light Tag, which has more than 40 members from Jewish, Christian and Muslim organizations. They organized a prayer meeting for peace early Wednesday evening, aimed at offering hope and an alternative path to the current violence, and at making heard what the rabbi called “moderate voices” in Israel.

 Listen to the report by Laura Ieraci:








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