Page 2, 7th May 2004

7th May 2004

Page 2

Page 2, 7th May 2004 — ‘You may choose not to go on an Israeli bus after a sheikh has been assassinated’
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‘You may choose not to go on an Israeli bus after a sheikh has been assassinated’

Bishops’ adviser issues guidance to Catholic pilgrims to the Holy Land, reports Freddy Gray CATHOLICS should not let suicide bombers stop them making pilgrimages to the Holy Land, according to the bishops of England and Wales. Instead, pilgrims are encouraged to visit shrines in Israel and Jordan – but should take care not to hop on to an Israeli bus “the day after a sheikh is assassinated”.
Fr Frank Turner, assistant general secretary to the bishops’conference with responsibility for international affairs, told pilgrims to continue visiting the birthplace of Christianity.
“In the three and a half years of intifada, no pilgrim has been killed, and I don’t even think injured,” he said.
“Speaking from personal experience because I go back regularly, it can be a real hassle going through checkpoints and so on. But there is no fear attached for somebody like me.” Fr Turner added that he was more scared during his travels in Columbia than on trips into the Holy Land. “Of course, people need to take their own advice,” he said. “And there is a bit of a barrier because insurance companies assess the risk far higher than the bishops do. You need to take some precautions. You may choose not to go on an Israeli bus the day after a sheikh has been assassinated.” Philip Dean of Pax Travel, a pilgrimage travel agent, agreed that healthy pilgrims should not flinch from visiting Israel.
He said: “Certainly the hardier pilgrims are deciding to go back. We have two groups going at the end of October. The risks are still there, but they are no bigger than they are in London or Madrid.
“I would not take my Auntie Bertha, but I would take people who understand the risks.” The British government is less encouraging to potential pilgrims. The Foreign Office website advises Britons against all but “essential travel” to most of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Nine British nationals have been killed in the conflict since September 2000, including six in the West Bank and the Gaza strip. Travel insurance companies refuse to provide cover for tourists to these areas. However, the most important holy sites are not considered “high-level risk” areas.
“Some parts of the West Bank are less affected by military and terrorist activity than others,” says the website “Since June 2003, there have been very few Intifada incur sions into Bethlehem, Jericho and Ramallah. You should seek local advice before travelling to these areas; although they are generally safe, you run the risk of getting caught up in military activity. You should remain vigilant, take all necessary steps to protect your safety and make sure you have confidence in your individual security arrangements.” The Foreign Office adds: “The risk of terrorist attacks within Israel (including Jerusalem) remains high. We advise against travel along Israel’s border with Lebanon, and close to the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border.
“You should take extra care when crossing points between Israel and Jordan. Developments in Iraq and on the Middle East peace process continue to have an impact on local public opinion in the region and this may be expressed ... through acts of violence against British nationals and organisations. You should follow news reports and be alert to regional developments.” After their meeting last week, the bishops of England and Wales issued a statement on the situation in the Holy Land. Its tone was deliberately even-handed: the bishops condemned “morally abhorrent suicide attacks” against Israeli civilians, as well as “the unlawful assassination” of leading Palestinian figures by the Israeli military.
But the statement went on to denounce recent AngloAmerican policy relating to the West Bank. “The recent meeting between President Bush and Prime Minister Sharon was deeply damaging in its endorsement of the continued existence of Israeli West Bank settlements in defiance of international law,” said the bishops.
“Atwo-state solution agreed between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, with internationally agreed borders that allow the Palestinian state to be viable, remains the only clear way forward.
“We urge our own government ... to use every means to revive the Road Map accepted by both parties.” The statement echoed the views of the American Catholic bishops, who issued their own statement last week.
The American bishops said: “President Bush’s recent announcement of support for the unilateral Israeli policy toward Gaza and the West Bank is deeply troubling. The President’s acquiescence in Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s unilateral approach risks undermining the Road Map for Peace and prospects for a negotiated settlement of this conflict.”




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