FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 20, 2007
Contact: Sr. Ruth Lautt, O.P., Esq.
(212) 870-2320
New York, New York

Fair Witness Is Dismayed By Latin Patriarch’s Statement

Christians for Fair Witness on the Middle East is dismayed by remarks by Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah in Jerusalem rejecting Israel’s Jewish identity and stating that  a Jewish state was  discriminatory.

“We must be careful to distinguish between the Jewish people and the Jewish religion.  Presumably His Beatitude supports the creation of a state for the Palestinian people.  Why would he deny this same fundamental right to the Jewish people? ” asks Rev. Dr. Bruce Chilton, the Bernard Iddings Bell Professor of Religion at Bard College.

Sr. Ruth Lautt, Fair Witness National Director, points out “Jews, like any other people, defined in terms of a shared ethnicity, language, history, culture and/or religion, have the right to constitute an autonomous, sovereign political community.  We have been very concerned about recent attacks on the legitimacy of a Jewish state.  It is dismaying to see Patriarch Sabbah jump on this bandwagon and  take the position that a Jewish state is somehow inherently discriminatory.” 

Fr. James Loughran, S.A., Director of the Graymoor Ecumenical & Interreligious Institute adds   “When the modern Jewish state was created in 1948 there was a recognition that Jews were entitled to a homeland.  To now attack that Jewish homeland as per se ‘discriminatory’  seems itself motivated by discriminatory intent.  Especially in light of  the fact that Israel is known to respect freedom of all religions.”

“That a religion is part of Israel’s identity does not make it unique among the nations,” says Rev.  Chilton.  “As examples: Denmark’s constitution stipulates a national church that is supported by the state; Queen Elizabeth II is the supreme governor of the Church of England; The special status of the church in Greece is acknowledged in the constitution, which declares the Eastern Orthodox Church of Christ the ‘prevailing religion’;  The constitution of the Palestinian Authority states that ‘Islam is the official religion in Palestine.’ Why  is the Jewish state singled out as discriminatory if a religious identity is intertwined with its national identity?”

“Sabbah’s statement seems out of line with official Catholic Church policy,” added Fr. Loughran.  “The 1993 Fundamental Agreement by which the Vatican officially recognized the State of Israel  made repeated reference to ‘Jews’ and ‘the Jewish people,’ clearly acknowledging the Jewish identity of Israel.”