"Am I therefore become your enemy,because I TELL YOU THE TRUTH...?"
(Galatians 4:16)

Jerusalem's Latin Patriarch rejects Israel's Jewish identity

Israel's identity as a Jewish state discriminates against non-Jews, the Holy Land's top Roman Catholic clergyman said yesterday in a pre-Christmas address. "If there's a state of one religion, other religions are naturally discriminated against," Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah told reporters, at the annual news conference held in Jerusalem before the Christian holiday.In his address, which he read in Arabic and English, Sabbah said Israel should abandon its Jewish character in favor of a political, normal state for Christians, Muslims and Jews. "This land cannot be exclusive for anyone," he said. Foreign Ministry spokesman Arye Mekel said that Israel provides full religious freedom to people of all faiths. "We reject his claim that other religions are not enjoying equal rights in Israel," Mekel said. With his statements, Sabbah, a longtime advocate of the Palestinian cause, waded into a debate that has marred the fledgling peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. He said the Israeli-Palestinian conflict had unleashed "forces of evil" across the Middle East, and it was up to Israel to relaunch the peace process. "I hope we are entering into a new phase with Annapolis," Sabbah said. He continued: "The one who will decide is Israel. If Israel decides for peace, there will be peace. Until now, there has been no peace, simply because there has been no willingness to make it." Sabbah, who has been the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem since 1987, is the first Palestinian to hold the post and has frequently been critical of Israel.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/936454.html
As in the days of Noah....