Jerusalem in the wake of President Trump’s speech

    Patriarchs and the heads of churches in Jerusalem addressed a letter telling Trump that: “We believe that this step will lead to more hatred, conflict, violence and anguish for Jerusalem and the Holy Land, and will hinder the aspired goal of unity and peace.” Many other leaders in the region and the world told Trump the same words but he did not listen to anyone.

    Along with the heads of our churches, we also stated in the letter: “A final peace settlement cannot be realized without Jerusalem being for everyone.” Jerusalem is the city of our prayers, the city of our daily life, and the capital of our political life.

    Trump’s speech removed the mask from the face of US politics. The US is a party to the conflict and cannot be an arbiter. One hundred years ago, the powerful of the earth started their oppression of us. One hundred years ago in 1917, another man called Balfour, in the British government of that period, promised our land to the Jewish people. The powerful of the earth oppressed us and we became strangers on our land and in our homes, people who must be removed simply because we are Palestinians. Trump’s speech is a decisive step that will not secure Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, but will reinforce our very existence on our land, and will prompt us to be more insistent in our demand for a just and final peace.
    Read full text in Kairos Palestine web pages