Bishop Declan Lang, chair of the Holy Land Co-ordination, has condemned the actions of the Israeli army.
‘The terrible loss of life in Gaza caused by the Israeli army’s use of live fire against civilians is to be condemned unequivocally,’ Bishop Lang said in a joint statement, along with the Anglican Bishop of Southwark, Christopher Chessun.
‘These protests take place against the drastically deteriorating humanitarian situation which leaves little hope and continues to undermine a peaceful resolution. Hundreds of families across Gaza are now mourning their loved ones, dead and wounded,’ they added.
The bishops said that while Israel has a right to defend itself it also has ‘the moral and legal responsibility not to use disproportionate force and not to prevent the injured from receiving medical treatment’.
‘All violence is destructive to peace efforts and our cry is for a peaceful two state solution with Jerusalem as the shared capital.
‘We pray for all those who suffer from this conflict and for the peace of Jerusalem,’ they concluded.
Picture: An Israeli flag on Mount of Olives flies near the city of Jerusalem. (CNS photo/Jim Hollander, EPA).
