ASIA/HOLY LAND - Religions for Peace, Rabbis for Human Rights and Order of Malta Call for End to Escalation

Jerusalem (Fides News Agency) - "After the unprecedented terrorist attacks and the taking of hostages by Hamas, a military operation by the Israeli army is underway to fight terrorism and free the hostages. While we pray for the victims, their families and all those affected, we also hope that the military operations will soon cease and we will get back to work to build a peaceful coexistence that can only be based on equality. This means recognizing once and for all the right of the State of Israel to exist and the right of the Palestinian people to have their own independent state," reads a statement from the Religions for Peace Association, which promotes interfaith dialogue at the international level as a path to reconciliation and peace.
The organization agrees with the statement of the "Rabbis for Human Rights" group working in Israel, which, in the face of "an unprecedented tragedy in casualties, injuries and abductions," notes, "One thing is painfully clear even now: this reality is not a matter of fate, and no person, man, woman or child should live in fear, hide in shelters or flee for refuge. Security is not a privilege: it is a fundamental right to which every individual is entitled, simply by virtue of being human. But it is also what has been stolen from all the inhabitants of this land, both Israelis and Palestinians, for too many years, leaving behind a trail of blood. This cycle must end."
"It is already obvious," the organization continues, "that the new reality that awaits us cannot be like the one of yesterday. The great question that arises is whether we will allow ourselves to be carried away by those failed concepts that have proven harmful time and again, or whether we will turn to a fundamentally different path, a path that guarantees not only our peace but also theirs, our future with theirs, our dignity with theirs." "We mourn together with the families of the victims, send healing wishes to the wounded and their relatives, and pray for the early release of the prisoners and the greatest possible alleviation of suffering," it concludes.
Among the organizations that have always been involved at the humanitarian level in the Holy Land is the Order of Malta, which demands that "the spiral of violence be stopped immediately. No terrorist act and no indiscriminate use of force against innocent populations can be justified." The Order of Malta also calls for "full respect for international humanitarian law, the rule of law and the protection of innocent people caught up in the conflict, and appeals to all parties to respect the rights of those who work in hospitals and clinics, provide first aid and run ambulance services. All too often, those who selflessly help the sick and needy become victims themselves."
In this context, the Order of Malta appeals to the international community to "make every effort to end the escalation and spiral of violence, to protect human lives and to create the conditions for a comprehensive and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the spirit of the relevant United Nations resolutions."
(PA) (Fides News Agency 10/11/2023)

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