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(LifeSiteNews) — In response to the remarks of U.S. President Donald Trump on his plans for Gaza, announced Monday, the Auxiliary Bishop of Jerusalem Monsignor William Shomali has issued a statement on the proposed transfer of the population.
Here is his statement in full, provided exclusively to LifeSiteNews today:
The idea of displacing a people against their will and forcing another state to absorb them is unacceptable.
The right and freedom of a people to live on their own land and not be forcibly displaced should not even be questioned.
Egypt and Jordan have strongly rejected the idea of absorbing a massive influx of Palestinians.
Taking in vulnerable families, the elderly and the sick is one thing, but not a population of more than two million.
Any decision should be a free and deliberate choice made by both sides. This is not the case.
Trump’s announcement came as a shock to us because it made clear his intentions regarding the future of Gaza. He did not mention the UN resolutions and the Two Peoples: Two State solution.
In his mind, a Palestinian state is a utopia. Trump cannot replace the United Nations and become the supreme decision-maker.
I hope and pray that the ceasefire will continue and that there will be a solution to this conflict.
The exchange of hostages and prisoners does not solve the underlying problem, which is the whole historical and long-term conflict. It treats part of it, but not its root, which is the question about who owns this land. The issue is not solved through the denial of one people’s rights, but by affirming both rights – otherwise the conflict will not come to an end.
Christian Palestinians as part of the Palestinian people would be affected by such a decision as they were affected by the 1948 war which disseminated thousands of Christians and obliged them to seek other countries for their living.
Monsignor William Shomali, Auxiliary Bishop of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and Patriarchal Vicar for Jerusalem and Palestine.
Help bring aid trucks into Gaza: LifeFunder