ISRAEL
“THE OTHER VOICE” REACHES OUT TO GAZAN PALESTINIANS
(Al-Bushra) “The Other Voice” is a grassroots movement founded by Israelis living in the town of Sderot and other locations near to the Gaza Strip border. The aim of “The Other Voice” is to reach out to the Gaza Palestinians, to promote peaceful dialogue and call for an end to the siege of the Gaza Strip and the occupation and oppression of the Palestinians in general.
Members of “The Other Voice” maintain ongoing personal contacts with Gaza Strip Palestinians, unbroken even in periods of high tensions, violence and bloodshed. It is virtually impossible to have face-to-face meetings since Gaza Palestinians are virtually never allowed to enter Israel and Israeli citizens similarly forbidden to enter Gaza; still, it is possible to maintain contact, across the high physical and mental barriers, by phone and the net.
Expressions of solidarity and goodwill, made by people worldwide, are highly appreciated and strengthening. You can help by raising the issue in your own country, reaching out to decision-makers and the general public opinion. Relations between Israelis and Palestinians have long since stopped being their own exclusive concern. People and governments from all over the world are involved – and should be involved in the right way.
MERIDA, VENEZUELA
CHURCH BUILDING IN VENEZUELA SEIZED BY LOCAL GOVERNMENT GROUP
(ACI Prensa) A group of people appropriated the facilities of a parish in Venezuela’s Mérida state on Monday afternoon, saying they were acting on behalf of the local government. The group seized Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish in Ejido, fewer than 10 miles southwest of Mérida, May 28. Bishop Luis Enrique Rojas Ruiz, Auxiliary Bishop of Mérida, said the group stormed in and tore off the padlocks to the doors that give access to the soccer field and parish halls.
The pastor, Fr. José Juan Flores, prevented them from entering the church and asked their identity. They replied that they were from the city council and they came on behalf of the mayor of Ejido, Simón Pablo Figueroa. The occupiers immediately asked Fr. Flores to remove his belongings and proceeded to weld shut from the outside the metal doors leading to the soccer field.
“We call on the authorities in charge of this case to answer for physical integrity and safety of the parish priests as well as that all of the people who are there,” Bishop Rojas’ message reads. Hours later, Bishop Rojas had a phone conversation with the mayor and invited him to a meeting. However, the meeting has not yet materialized, as the mayor is in Caracas.
Fr. Flores said that an incident of this kind was imminent since the church had been threatened with the seizure of its parish buildings and the priests and faithful had also been threatened. Lawyers from the archdiocese and the town were to meet May 29 to agree on solutions to end the seizure.
CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA
BAPTIST CONGREGATION VOTES JESUS STATUE OUT FOR BEING ‘TOO CATHOLIC’
(CNA/EWTN News) Jesus is being evicted from a South Carolina church, and he must be out by the end of the month. Red Bank Baptist Church in Lexington, about 120 miles northeast of Charleston, has voted to remove a statue of Christ and its accompanying reliefs after 11 years, because they are believed to be too “Catholic in nature”. The white, hand-carved statue in question shows Christ with his outstretched and stepping out of the wall, while the reliefs depict images from Christ’s life, death and resurrection.
Red Bank Baptist Church leaders sent a letter to the artist, Bert Baker Jr., earlier this month, informing him that the congregation had voted to remove the statue because it was being perceived as a Catholic icon and was causing confusion among churchgoers. “We understand that this is not a Catholic icon, however, people perceive it in these terms. As a result, it is bringing into question the theology and core values of Red Bank Baptist Church,” church leaders Jeff Wright and Mike Dennis said in the letter.
Baker, a former member of the church’s congregation himself, was commissioned to make the statue for Red Bank in 2007. In a response letter, Baker told the church leaders that he wanted the Christ statue to appear to be stepping out in a symbol of the Lord’s commission, and that the other images in the reliefs were based on basic facts about Christ’s life which can be found in the Bible.
ISRAEL
GAZA’S PROTEST LEADERS STILL BELIEVE IN NONVIOLENT STRUGGLE
Despite the bloodletting in Gaza over the past months, the leaders of the Great Return March believe that nonviolent resistance is still the best way to end the siege. Rami Younis spoke to Hasan al-Kurd, one of the leaders of the march about the successes, mistakes, and future of the movement.
What would you want to say to the Israeli public?
“We, organizers of the protests, still believe in nonviolent resistance to the siege and the occupation. Even if there was violence on our side, Israelis must understand where they come from. Gaza is like a pressure cooker, and it is difficult to stop it from violently exploding. Yet, we succeeded in convincing a large part of our public to protest nonviolently.
Do you have plans for the future of the protest movement?
“We will continue our activities every Friday. We will protest at the tent encampments we built along the border, but we will not try to cross until June 5th, when we commemorate the occupation of 1967. Our protest is here and it will not disappear.”
Toward the end of our conversation, I try to end on an optimistic tone, and ask al-Kurd what he will do on the day the siege ends. “I suppose I will worry about getting a normal education for my children. I don’t care where.”
Tej Francis
Email: tejfrancis@gmail.com
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