Funeral of Shireen Abu Akleh: Holy Land bishops condemn Israel
Spiritual leaders attend a news conference regarding the funeral of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, killed in an Israeli raid in Jenin, occupied West Bank, in Jerusalem May 16, 2022. © REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
Church leaders in Jerusalem condemn the behavior of the Israeli police during the funeral of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh last Friday.
They consider that there has been an attack on freedom of worship.
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With our correspondent in Jerusalem,
Michel Paul
The press conference took place at St. Joseph's Hospital in East Jerusalem, precisely where the most serious incident took place during the funeral of the Palestinian-American journalist:
the baton attack by the funeral procession of Shireen Abu Akleh by the Israeli police
who had taken over the place.
"
We, as Christian Churches, condemn the events of last Friday,
" said Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa
.
We demand freedom of worship.
It is also the right to celebrate a funeral, the last important moment in anyone's life.
And security reasons cannot justify what happened.
»
Several diplomatic legations in Jerusalem had asked the Israeli authorities to exercise caution during the funeral of the star reporter for the Al Jazeera channel.
Calls that have gone unanswered, says Father Luc Pareydt, adviser for religious affairs at the Consulate General of France.
“
There was no coordination in the formal sense of the word.
We sent that note verbale and back… You know, they very rarely respond, and the response was what we know
.
»
Officials of Saint-Joseph hospital intend to file a complaint against the incursion of the establishment under French supervision and the violence of the Israeli police.
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