Church leaders praise Arafat; ADL talks of legacy of terrorism

JERUSALEM (CNS) -- Church leaders in Jerusalem said Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat supported the rights of Holy Land Christians in a region often hostile to them, but the Anti-Defamation League said Arafat's legacy "is one of terrorism and failed leadership."
"Arafat was always there for us and (handled) any conflicts within Palestinian society. He especially had good contacts with the leaders of the churches, and they could contact him any time," said Father Shawki Baterian, chancellor of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

"He was always open to our ideas. Even for the constitution, Arafat asked our opinion and formed a committee to follow up with us on that," he said.

Although the draft constitution envisioned a lay state, it also declared Islam the official religion.

Father Baterian said it was essential for a new Palestinian leader to be elected democratically and to follow Arafat's path in maintaining unity among Palestinians, including Christians.

Arafat appointed Christians to influential positions within the Palestinian National Authority; several of his closest advisers and associates were Christians. "Arafat was the president of the Palestinian people and ... strengthened the future between (Muslims and Christians). No matter how it looks today, it is misunderstandings and just temporary. It is not part of our culture," said Ramze Zananiri, Jerusalem office director of the Middle East Council of Churches.
Zananiri said that while power struggles might occur in the aftermath of Arafat's Nov. 11 death, he did not expect Islamic extremists to gain power, because "the vast majority ... are not fundamentalists."

"It is of great significance to have a strong leadership," he said. "Also in Israeli society, I hope there will be leaders who will drive the people to a better future."

George Sahhar, president of the Christian Laity Committee in the Holy Land, said there was "great sadness among the Christians in the Holy Land." "This man was good to us and did a great job protecting us and our holy sites. There is a mood of apprehension of what will happen to us after Arafat," Sahhar said.
Some Palestinians said that whoever is chosen as their leader, he must not be seen as too close to the United States or Israel, or he will not be trusted or supported by the people.

In Washington, President George W. Bush sent condolences to the Palestinian people, saying he hoped the future would "bring peace and the fulfillment of their aspirations for an independent, democratic Palestine that is at peace with its neighbors."

"During the period of transition that is ahead, we urge all in the region and throughout the world to join in helping make progress toward these goals and toward the ultimate goal of peace," Bush said.

In New York, Anti-Defamation League national director Abraham Foxman said that Arafat "focused on ways to destroy the Jewish State of Israel."

"There will undoubtedly be many eulogies and tributes focusing on Arafat's accomplishments. Such eulogies should not and cannot whitewash Arafat's responsibility for the death of thousands of Israelis, Jews, Palestinians and others and his lifelong commitment to the use of terrorism to further his political goals," Foxman said.

In Geneva, the World Council of Churches said Arafat would be remembered for uniting the Palestinian people and for advancing the cause of Palestinian statehood.

"On his long road as a leader, Yasser Arafat came to the recognition that true justice embraces peace, security and hope for both Palestinians and Israelis," the council's statement said.

The statement noted that "Arafat often made sure to mention the church as well as the mosque as core institutions of Palestinian national life."

Palestinians in Bethlehem weep at passing of longtime leader Arafat

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (CNS) -- Although the news was not unexpected, Palestinians wept upon hearing that their longtime leader, Yasser Arafat, had died.

"At 6:30 a.m. we turned on the radio and heard that Arafat had died," said Yowakim Elias Hadwa, 19, a Greek Orthodox student at Catholic-run Bethlehem University.

"I cried, my whole family cried. We don't know what the future will bring, but we hope it will be quiet and peaceful. There is no one who can replace Arafat," he said Nov. 11 as he and two friends walked the empty streets of neighboring Beit Jalla.

Schools and shops in Bethlehem were closed after a three-day strike; a 40-day period of mourning was announced. Only pharmacies and a few bakeries remained open. Villagers came early to sell their produce, then returned home.

Two black banners hung over the closed gate of the Bethlehem University campus, and a Palestinian flag stood at half-staff. Passages from the Quran and prayers were read over mosque loudspeakers.

Arafat died early Nov. 11 in a Paris hospital after having been in a coma for more than a week. The cause of death was not released immediately.

In front of Bethlehem University, a group of young men taped Arafat posters onto their cars, while black and white kaffiyehs hung loosely around their necks.

"He was my father, my whole family," said Mohammed Shahat, 21. "He did a lot for the Palestinian people. He helped us (hold dialogues) with other people and return to our land."

In many of the posters, Arafat is holding a picture of the imprisoned Marwan Barghouthi, the former leader of the military wing of Arafat's Fatah faction whom many say is the only one who can unite and lead Palestinians now.

"Only God knows what will happen now," said pharmacist Atta Rahal. A friend in the pharmacy said he hoped the next government would not become a U.S.-appointed puppet government such as the ones in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Rawhi Fattuh, speaker of the Palestinian Parliament, will temporarily replace Arafat as Palestinian National Authority chairman until elections are held. The Palestine Liberation Organization elected former Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas as chairman, virtually ensuring he will succeed Arafat at least temporarily as Palestinian leader.

The morning of Arafat's death, the Church of the Nativity was empty except for a group of tourists. A memorial Mass for Arafat was scheduled for Nov. 14, a Catholic employee said.

Pictures of Arafat meeting with various church leaders were taped to the wall of the tourist police office at the entrance of the church.

"Arafat was especially important for Bethlehem because of (how he dealt with) the Muslim and Christian relations," said a Muslim resident of the city involved in tourism; he asked that his name not be used.

Another man said Christians were generally fearful and were hoping a new Palestinian leader would be chosen democratically.

"We are in the 21st century and don't want to (go) backwards. It is a matter of democracy and human rights in Palestinian society," said the man, a Greek Orthodox.

While some West Bank cities reported tire burnings and demonstrations, Bethlehem was relatively quiet. A lone tire burned on Madbasseh Square at the start of Pope Paul VI Street, which leads to Nativity Square.

There was not the usual bustle in the old part of town, with mainly men and boys roaming the streets. Some cars bore Arafat posters and sported black flags from their radio antennas.

At one point a band of young men with loudspeakers marched down Pope Paul VI Street, calling on the few shop owners who had left their stores open to close them.

A Muslim Palestinian remarked that Arafat's death came three days before the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. The days are usually marked by a flurry of shopping for new clothes and presents.

Many merchants stock up for those three days, but now will be unable to sell their merchandise, the man said.

Pope expresses closeness to Arafat's family, Palestinian people

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope John Paul II expressed his closeness to the family of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and to the Palestinian people and prayed "that the star of harmony soon shine on the Holy Land."
The pope's message followed the Nov. 11 announcement of Arafat's death in a Paris military hospital.

The pope prayed that Israelis and Palestinians soon "may live reconciled among themselves as two independent and sovereign states."

The message was written by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Vatican secretary of state, and authorized by the pope, a Vatican statement said. It was addressed to Rawhi Fattuh, president of the Palestinian Legislative Council.

Cardinal Sodano wrote, "to the condolences of His Holiness, I cordially adjoin my own."

Earlier, Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said in a statement that Arafat "was a leader of great charisma, who loved his people and who sought to guide them toward national independence."

"May God, in his mercy, receive the soul of the illustrious deceased," the statement read, "and bring peace to the Holy Land, with two independent and sovereign states, fully reconciled between themselves."

The Vatican was expected to name an envoy to attend Arafat's Nov. 12 funeral in Cairo, Egypt.

Afif Safieh, the Palestine Liberation Organization's representative to the Holy See, said the good diplomatic relations that Arafat established with the Vatican would not change.

"President Arafat valued his relations with the Holy See and with the Holy Father," Safieh said in a telephone interview from London. "He always considered himself to be the representative of all the Palestinians," including Christians.

Arafat met with Pope John Paul 12 times between 1982 and his confinement by Israel to his headquarters in Ramallah, West Bank, in 2001. In 2000, the Vatican and the Palestinian National Authority signed an agreement that guaranteed the rights of Christian and their churches in Palestinian territories.

"This will continue. We as Palestinians are the custodians of all the spiritual messages that were born in Palestine," Safieh said.

Arafat, he said, had put relations between Palestinian authorities and the Vatican "on the right track."

Now, he added "it is our duty to continue this privileged relationship with the Holy See. We will honor our agreement."

Arafat "valued very much his personal encounters with the pope," Safieh said, and even after his confinement Arafat "continued to consult with him (the pope) in decisive moments for the Middle East."

Father Justo Lacunza Balda, director of Rome's Institute for Arab and Islamic Studies, said the restrictions Israel put on Arafat "did not help the prospect of peace."

The death of the Palestinian leader "marks a U-turn in history," he said, because it may give a chance for the emergence of a new generation that "wants to live in a better world. The new generation in Israel as well is fed up with violence."

He said Christians in the Palestinian territories were feeling insecure following the bombings of churches in Iraq. Five churches were bombed in August, five in October, and car bombs in Baghdad Nov. 8 damaged two Orthodox churches and one Catholic church.

Father Lacunza said the bombings in Baghdad show "that there is a grander project to rid the whole area of any minorities, no matter if it is Christian, Jewish or Zoroastrian. There is a message that minorities are not wanted."

"We have to put the problem of Christian minorities in the context of the whole Middle East," he said.

The guarantee of freedom of religion for minorities in any country "is the responsibility and the duty of the state, not the church," Father Lacunza said.