Local sources within the West Bank have claimed that because the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began six weeks ago, Christians in the world have faced increasing difficulties, mainly as a consequence of increased security and travel restrictions.
A Catholic youth chaplain in the world, Father Louis Salman told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), “For us, within the West Bank, the ceasefire has made the situation even worse.”
As a part of the ceasefire deal, Israel has agreed to release over 600 Palestinian prisoners, a lot of whom are being returned to the West Bank, quite than Gaza, which in turn has led Israel to beef up the variety of security checkpoints within the region.
Sami El-Yousef, CEO of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, told ACN that Israel is annexing more land within the West Bank and evicting large numbers of refugees.
“We have seen more annexation of land within the West Bank, in addition to the eviction of around 16,000 people from refugee camps in Jenin [the capital city of the surrounding governorate], with the physical infrastructure being razed, so that they have nowhere to return to,” he said.
“The West Bank is now completely fragmented with 185 gates and over 900 checkpoints, but due to what has been occurring in Gaza, none of this gets much international attention.”
El-Yousef added that he felt the “tide could be very much against us”.
Despite the difficulties, El-Yousef said he felt the Catholic Church is in a stronger position in the world than it was a year-and-a-half ago, thanks mainly to its ability to maintain providing services to the local people, especially those affected by the conflict. This was possible, he said, because of assistance from the worldwide church.
In a region dominated by Jews and Muslims, Father Salman voiced the importance of maintaining a Christian presence within the region.
“As Christians from Jesus’ homeland, now we have an obligation to remain here, where he lived, where he died, and where he rose again,” he said.
During his illness, Pope Francis has also shown a consistent interest within the Catholic community living in Gaza.
