BETHLEHEM, Monday, May 8, 2023 (WAFA) – Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said last night upon receiving the Patriarch of Antioch Ignatius Aphrem II in the biblical city of Bethlehem in the south of the West Bank that the Christians are an important component of the Palestinian society.
"Christians are an important component of this society, and we must exert every effort together so that this Christian presence is not eroded as a result of factors of exclusion provided and supported by the occupation, and we must all strengthen the resilience of our Muslim and Christian people on their land," said Shtayyeh in a ceremony held in honor of the Patriarch at the Conference Palace in Bethlehem in the presence of a number of ministers, officials, religious figures, and diplomats.
"Today, we receive an exceptional guest on a historic day, with its religious and humanitarian status, in an exceptional visit, the first to Palestine in 58 years, at an important time, a visit that carries an important religious, humanitarian and national message, our honorable guest, the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and the Supreme Head of the Syriac Orthodox Universal Church," added the Prime Minister in reference to Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II first visit to the Holy Land since 1965, two years before Israel would begin its occupation of East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
“Bethlehem is a holy city. Christianity was born here in Bethlehem in Palestine. It is the twin city of Jerusalem, the city of the resurrection of Christ,” said Shtayyeh. “Today, Bethlehem, like Jerusalem, is surrounded by the occupation wall, and Muslims and Christians are forbidden to pray there. This occupation threatens our lives, our freedom and our land.”
He added: “The Syriac-Palestinians, although they preserve their Syriac language and culture, they are Palestinian in identity and active on the national and societal levels."
He continued: "Here we are fighting many battles, the battle of geography on the ground, the battle of demography over the human being, the battle of money with which Israel wants to impoverish our people, and the battle of the narrative, which we are its protectors in the face of forgery."
The Patriarch’s procession arrived at Manger Square in Bethlehem coming from Jerusalem where he was received by the Palestinian Minister of Tourism, the mayor of Bethlehem and other officials.
The Patriarch held a prayer at the Grotto, and at the Syriac Church at the Nativity before visiting the Syriac Orthodox Church of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem.
"I am overwhelmed with feelings of joy and happiness,” said the Patriarch upon arriving in Bethlehem. “Today we are in a holy place, and we are with the Palestinian people who are going through difficult circumstances. We always pray for them to be liberated and to establish their state with the recognized borders, and to live in freedom, dignity, security and peace.”
The 6-day visit came at the invitation of President Mahmoud Abbas.
M.K.
