Episcopal Press and News

Kafity Attacked for His Support of Palestinian State

Episcopal News Service. October 29, 1992 [92220D]

Bishop Samir Kafity, president-bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and the Middle East, was attacked in a Jerusalem Post editorial for "growing involvement in the political drive for a Palestinian state." The editorial said that it may be "unrealistic" to "expect church leaders in Israel and the administered territories to tend to their flocks and stay out of politics." It accused Christian church leaders of joining in "Yasser Arafat's campaign to form a Moslem-Christian front against Israel." Warning that a possible recognition of Israel by the Vatican would bring "another blitz of slanders," the editorial concluded, "The hostility of these church leaders for Israel seems matched by their pro-PLO zeal and their ability to find gullible listeners abroad." In response, Kafity said that the "Christian relationship with Islam remains positive, mutual and respectful," adding that he hoped for a similar relationship with all Israelis. "It is hoped that such a three-way relationship can be encouraged," he said in an open letter dated October 6. Kafity asserted that "these three Abrahamic faiths need to be engaged in positive talks," charging that the editorial "wants to create gaps." He concluded that everyone involved in the tense political situation needs "to affirm the spirit of open, free dialogue and exchange," becoming "instruments of peace and not division."