US bishops express dismay at Israelis

BY DAN FRANK
THE PRESIDENT of the American bishops’ conference has expressed “deep dismay” that Israel refuses to comply with agreements signed with the Vatican.
In a letter to Condoleeza Rice, the American secretary of state-designate, Bishop William Skylstad of Spokane, referred to the Fundamental Agreement of 1993 in which the Vatican formally recognised and established diplomatic ties with Israel.
“We are deeply dismayed by the lack of progress, and we fear a lack of commitment on the part of the Israeli government in negotiations with the Holy See over ... vital concerns to the Catholic Church and the wider Christian community in the Holy Land,” said Bishop Skylstad. “The agreed-upon bases for these negotiations were the rights acquired by the Church prior to the UN mandate establishing the state of Israel. These rights were reaffirmed in the UN mandate establishing the state of Israel and in the Israeli Declaration of Independence.” According to the bishop, the Church is being prevented from maintaining its properties in the Holy Land by the imposition of “arbitrary taxation policies” and “the denial of access to due process through Israeli courts to settle property disputes” in violation of international law and the “prior rights of the Church”.