AL-QUDS – Patriarchs and heads of local churches in Al-Quds (Occupied Jerusalem) expressed concern Wednesday over US President Donald Trump’s policy change on the status of the holy city, confirming that the “the Holy City can be shared.”
“Our solemn advice and plea are for the United States to continue recognizing the present international status of Jerusalem. Any sudden changes would cause irreparable harm,” the clerics pleaded in a letter penned to the president, Haaretz reported.
The letter was sent on Wednesday amid hopes they could dissuade Trump from recognizing Al-Quds as Israel’s capital.
The heads of churches implored Trump to take more time to reconsider the significant change in American policy on the contested city, and shared with him that they have been “following, with concern, the reports about the possibility of changing how the United States understands and deals with the status of Jerusalem.”
They also added, “The Holy City can be shared and fully enjoyed once a political process helps liberate the hearts of all people, that live within it, from the conditions of conflict and destructiveness that they are experiencing.”
The thirteen signatories on the letter all represent a diverse variety of churches affiliated with Catholic, Evangelical, Orthodox and Apostolic religious sites.
Israel occupied the holy city and the West Bank in the 1967 war and later annexed it in a move not recognized by the international community or UN resolutions.
Since then, Israel has adopted a series of oppressive measures to force the Palestinians out of the city, including systematic demolition of their homes and the building of settlements.